Kendra Stone Volume 3: Reunion
by guardianM3
Summary: Her heart is pumping uncontrollably and the adrenaline rushes through her like a rampaging flood. She takes a moment to wonder how in the name of the heavens she got into this . . . situation.'
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

guardianM3: For those of you who don't know or haven't yet read the stories before this one, I suggest you that you do. First, there is a story that is sort of a prequel under the TV show "Walker Texas Ranger" which is titled "Introducing Kendra Stone". The volumes all are under the TV show "Sons of Thunder". The first volume is titled "Kendra Stone Meets the Sons of Thunder: Volume 1" and the second volume is "Kendra Stone Volume 2: Missing".

* * *

Chapter 1: The Beginning

_ Saturday, August 17 at 9:27 PM _

Her face is hidden within the shadows, as she stands deathly still on the stage in a beautiful thin-strapped dress that shows off her curves. Her heart is pumping uncontrollably and the adrenaline rushes through her like a rampaging flood. Her eyes are wide as she takes in everything before her with the rays of light from a single light bulb behind her. She can barely make out the figure standing just out of reach of the light. She sees her own shadow before her on the scuffed wooden floor but the shadow does not reflect the tears in her dress or the streaks of dirt and blood on her and the dress.

She takes a moment to wonder how in the name of the heavens she got into this…situation.

She doesn't move as the gun is raised into a small patch of light and is aimed right at her heart.

* * *

_** One Week Before **_

_ Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 AM _

Trent was sitting at a table in Uppercuts reading the newspaper. The bar was empty except for him and Butch, of course, so he was enjoying the few moments of peace and quiet. He was looking intently at one particular section of the newspaper as Carlos come into the bar and sauntered over to Trent.

"Hey Trent, it seems that we are both early." Carlos commented and when his friend didn't answer, he looked at what Trent was reading. "Trying to find a place to live?"

Trent didn't look up from the newspaper when he answered his friend. "Yeah. Since I keep coming and going at odd hours of the night, I'm trying to find my own place but it needs to be close to home so I can still help out."

"Why are you looking in the newspaper? Butch probably knows someone who is a real estate agent. Heck, he is practically a real estate agent. Why don't you just ask him?" Carlos said as he sat down across from Trent.

Trent shot his friend a look. "I can find a place on my own."

Kim came into the bar, spotted the boys and went to their table. She took one look at what Trent was reading and said, "Why don't you just ask Butch to help you find a place?"

Trent sighed as he closed the section of newspaper he had been reading.

Kim sat down with the boys as Butch came over with two mugs and a pot of coffee. "Good morning. How are all you doing?" Butch asked as he poured coffee into the cups and set one in front of Carlos and Kim and he refilled Trent's cup.

"Trent's looking for a place to live." Carlos said and then took a sip of his coffee, after he had added cream and two sugars.

"Really?" Butch said as he picked up the coffeepot and gave his undivided attention to Trent.

Trent sighed and decided that his friends were probably right. "Yeah. Do you know of a place not to far from my family's house?"

"Yeah. There's a place just a block from you. You didn't know about it?" Butch asked.

"No. I'll have to go check it out. Thanks Butch." Trent said as he began to put the newspaper back together.

"You're welcome." Butch said as he left.

"So, are you going to the reunion?" Carlos asked Trent.

"Yeah, are you?" Trent asked setting the newspaper off to the side.

"Of course. I can't wait to see Daisy Fields." Carlos said with a grin as his eyes stared off into the distance as he reminisced about one of the most beautiful girls that Dallas High had ever had.

"Isn't Daisy Fields too old for you?" Kim asked knowing full well that Carlos tended to date younger women, mostly women who were eighteen or nineteen.

"No. In fact, she is three months and ten days younger than me." Carlos replied with a sly grin.

"Did you guys receive invitations to Jimmy and Erika's wedding?" Trent asked hoping to keep the two from bickering.

"Yeah. I can't believe Trivette is getting married in two months." Carlos said as he shook his head.

"Why can't you believe that? We know that you will never get married and even when you are eighty years old, you'll still be chasing eighteen year old girls." Kim remarked and then paused as she thought about it. "That's just creepy and disturbing. I can't believe I even said it."

"I can't believe you even thought it." Carlos replied.

Kendra sat down between Carlos and Kim as Butch came over with the coffee pot, a mug, five plates, forks and butter knives. "Morning, Butch. Morning, guys." Kendra greeted as she accepted the mug from Butch and took a sip.

"Morning, Kendra. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes." Butch said as he went to finish the meal.

They had begun the early Saturday morning breakfast tradition once Trent and Carlos had gotten back onto their feet. They would each take turns cooking and alternating what they had for breakfast and it would always take place at Uppercuts.

"Decided not to bring Hunter along?" Carlos asked Kendra teasingly.

Kendra didn't reply for several minutes as she scanned the headlines from Trent's newspaper. "Hunter is busy and for the last time Carlos, he and I are just friends."

"Aren't you two going out tonight?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, but as _friends_." Kendra said forcefully and defensively.

"Didn't he tell you to dress up? That means he is taking you to someplace really nice, which implies…" Kim said and then stopped as Kendra shot her a look.

"That sounds like a date to me." Carlos remarked and Kendra went to smack him but he knew it was coming and he dodged the blow.

"Here's breakfast." Butch said as he brought over three plates. One plate had two towers of waffles, another one had sausage and the last one had bacon. "I'll be right back. I have to get the toppings." Butch said as he took off again. He returned with some butter and maple syrup.

Once grace had been said by Trent, the plates of food were passed around and everyone loaded up their personal plates. They chatted and laughed all through the delicious breakfast.

* * *

guardianM3: Remember reviews are helpful and are always welcome. So please review! Is how I set up the date and time all right with all of you? I just want to make sure that it is easily understood and readable. I hope you all have enjoyed the first chapter of volume three. I know most of it is kind of short and boring but the following chapters are more interesting, at least I hope you guys will consider them interesting. I've placed the genre as mystery/general. The general part is going to change, but I haven't decided to what yet and if you guys have any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated but I suggest you wait for a few chapters.


	2. Chapter 2: The Date

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Date

_ Saturday, August 10 at 7:45 PM _

Hunter parked his car, a red Dodge Viper, next to Kendra's Stratus and got out. He checked his tie in the mirror and straightened it. Satisfied he shut the car door and headed up the stairs to Kendra's apartment. He rapped on the door twice and took a deep breath.

The door opened and Hunter's dashing grin became a dazzled look. Kendra stood before him wearing a thin-strapped black dress that hung about two inches from her knees and a pair of black, strapped heels.

"Hi, Hunter. Is this dressy enough?" Kendra asked as she gave him a smile.

"Uh, yeah…that…you look great." Hunter replied when he was able to speak.

"Thanks. You look great too. So, where are we going?" Kendra asked as she grabbed a little black purse and her keys. Hunter moved so she could close and securely lock the door.

"It's a surprise." Hunter replied still slightly dazed.

"Okay, let's go." Kendra said as she swept past Hunter and headed down the stairs. Hunter followed in silence.

"All right, now Hunter, we're friends, why can't you tell me where we are going? I mean, we usually just hang out somewhere but we usually just wear jeans and a shirt." Kendra said as she got into the car.

"Well this time it's different." Hunter replied as he got into the car and started it up.

"Hunter, we discussed this, I'm not ready…"

"…To be in a relationship." Hunter finished her sentence. "I know I just wanted to try something different." Hunter said as he backed out of the driveway and headed toward their destination.

Kendra frowned skeptically but didn't say a word.

* * *

_ 8:00 PM _

They entered the fancy restaurant called the Golden Swan and Hunter told the host his name. Hunter and Kendra were promptly seated near a window that had a view of the Dallas skyline. The waiter gave them their menus and had once he had received their drink orders he left to give them time to peruse the menu.

Kendra looked a little nervous in the romantic, yet stuffy atmosphere of the restaurant. Hunter glanced casually from his menu to look at Kendra and noticed her awkwardness.

"Look I'm really sorry. My friend set this whole thing up." Hunter said apologetically as he grabbed the cloth napkin from his lap and tossed it onto the table. "Let's get out of here."

"Are you sure? I mean your friend got you these reservations and I don't want you to feel as though you can't have a nice time here because of me." Kendra said

Hunter gave her a warm smile. "I don't like eating in stuffy places like this. Let's go get a pizza or some Chinese food." He said as he stood up and held out his hand to Kendra. After a split second, Kendra accepted his hand and they left the restaurant.

* * *

_ 9:00PM _

Kendra and Hunter had grabbed a pizza and had headed outside of the city. They sat on Hunter's car, the pizza box opened in between them and watched as the sun set and the first stars began to twinkle in the darkening sky. They sat in silence as they each ate three slices of pizza. Hunter placed the leftover pizza in the car and returned to the hood of the car.

"I love nature and the night. The night has its own secrets that are just ready to be discovered." Kendra said as she sighed and looked off into the distance.

"Yeah, it's a nice night." Hunter commented while Kendra turned and smiled at him.

"When I was little I would sleep out on the porch and watch the fireflies and listen to the owl and the other nocturnal animals. I would imagine being able to see in the dark as I explored the vast wilderness that no one else had ever been."

"Wow. When I was a kid, my brother and I would go camping, mostly just in the backyard though. The night was the time to tell ghost stories. Or stories about our neighbor Ms. Kale that my brother and I swore was a witch." Hunter recalled with a grin.

"That sounds like it was a lot of fun." Kendra said as she gazed at the stars. A profound silence came between them that lasted for nearly twenty minutes as they each delved deep into their memories and thoughts.

"Will you come with me to my high school reunion?" Hunter asked. "As my girlfriend?"

When Kendra didn't respond for several minutes, Hunter spoke. "Look if it's too soon for that, then…"

Kendra leaned over, grabbed Hunter and kissed him. Once they had broken apart, Kendra looked at him with her blue eyes burning brightly. "No, Hunter, it is the right time."

"I didn't pressure you, did I?" Hunter asked hesitantly.

Kendra gave him a mischievous smile. "Hunter Prescott, do you really believe that I can be pressured into something I don't want to do?"

"But before, you just wanted to be friends." Hunter pointed out.

Kendra nodded her head. "True, but can't a girl change her mind? Unless you are having some doubts about all of this." She said teasingly.

"Nope. No doubts whatsoever. I was waiting for you to catch up." Hunter said with his charming grin.

"How long would you have waited, anyway?" Kendra asked.

"About a week." Hunter replied with a cocky grin and ducked to avoid a playful smack.

"By the way, what friend got you the reservations at the restaurant?" Kendra asked with curiosity on her face, but she did have a couple of suspects in mind.

Hunter scratched the back of his neck which was his sign of being nervous. "Uh. Just a friend."

"Right. Was it Gage or Carlos?" Kendra asked staring into Hunter's eyes.

"Actually, it was Trivette." Hunter answered. "And Gage." There was another long pause. "And Alex. Sydney. Kim was also in on it. Of course, Carlos was too. I'm not sure about Trent though…or Butch…I doubt Walker was involved…"

* * *

_ Late That Night _

A figure enters a dark room and turns on a light that reveals a dark cherry wood desk that has two other objects on it, besides the lamp that directs its light over these objects. The figure sits down in a chair at the desk but the face remains in the shadows. The figure's hand reaches across the desk and settles on a single piece of paper whose message needs not be read because the figure has already memorized the words.

The figure's hand caresses the invitation and the figure recalls the instant the invitation was seen that this was a sign that they would finally come to be together and that they would then become one, forever.

The hand then moves from the invitation over to the other object on the desk, a yearbook, and the fingers grasps onto the red satin ribbon that has marked this special page for a long time. Carefully, the hand uses the ribbon to open the bookmarked page and the figure gazes longingly at the very familiar picture. The picture isn't really needed because the figure has already etched the perfect details in the figure's mind. The hand sweeps over the pictured face longingly. The figure imagines stroking and trailing the curves of the face with the figure's hand.

The hand then moves from the picture and shuts off the lamp. The figure sits in the dark, eyes filled with desire and excitement.

_Soon, my everlasting love. Soon. _

* * *

guardianM3: I'm not too sure about how this story is going so far, so you guys are just going to have to let me know. Well, the first part of this chapter is for all of you who enjoy a little romance. Let me know how I did. I know this chapter is mostly romance, or at least an attempt, but I'm not certain if the rest of the story is going to have too much romance, but we'll see.


	3. Chapter 3: High School Sweetheart

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

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Chapter 3: High School Sweetheart

_ Sunday, August 11 at 9:30 AM _

Trent put on his jacket and adjusted his tie. He heard one of the little Malloy's running up the stairs. Trent poked his head out of his room and saw that the culprit was Tyler.

"What's wrong, Tyler?"

Tyler's bottom lip trembled. "Tandy said Reverend Jones is going to have me test my faith by throwing me in the very center of a pond to see if I can walk on water." Tyler had begun to take swimming lessons at the community center and hadn't quite gotten it down yet.

Trent smiled at his brother and kneeled down so he could look Tyler in the eye. "Revered Jones would never do anything like that Tyler. Tandy is just picking on you. You know what an imagination she has, and she uses that gift sometimes for the wrong reason. Okay?"

"Okay." Tyler replied feeling a little better.

"Go get dressed and I'll teach you how to tie a tie."

Tyler looked at his brother with wide eyes that shone with surprise and excitement. When he spoke, his voice was filled with amazement. "I'm going to get a real tie. Not one with a clip?"

"Yes. You are getting a grown-up tie. You're ready to wear one. Now, go on and get dressed so we have time to work on that tie so we won't be late for Reverend Jones' sermon."

"Okay." Tyler said as he ran off to his room to put on his church clothes. Trent stood up and went to get Tyler a tie.

Five minutes later Tyler had returned to Trent, and Trent taught him how to make a square knot. Tyler picked it up quickly and his knot looked even better than Trent's did.

Trent and Tyler headed downstairs. Tyler spotted Tommy on the porch and went to show off his new skill. Trent went to find Tandy but when he went into the kitchen, he saw his mother putting away the clean dishes that they had used at breakfast.

"Mom, do you know where Tandy is?" Trent asked as he leaned on the island.

"I think she's gone into the tree house again. Can you go get her and make sure she doesn't tear her dress?" Katie said as she placed a stack of plates into the cupboard.

Trent went toward the door that leads out into the backyard. "Wait, I forgot to tell you something, Trent."

Trent stopped and turned to face is mother. "Yes, mom?"

"I spoke with Mrs. Wilson earlier, she told me that Natalie is coming to town for the reunion and that you two should get together. You know, so you two can catch up." Katie said, saying the last part a little too quickly.

"Natalie Wilson? Yeah, that would be great to see her again." Trent replied elated as a long forgotten images came to his mind.

Trent shook him self out of his daydream, coughed and mumbled about going to go find Tandy so they wouldn't be late for church. He went out the door to the backyard as Katie smiled knowingly to herself and went to finish putting the dishes away.

* * *

_2:00 PM _

The door opened as a blond, green-eyed woman entered. Trent and Carlos were sitting at the bar each sipping a beer, each eating a steak-um oozing with cheese. They were lost in their own thoughts and memories and hadn't even noticed that the woman had taken a seat next to Trent.

"Howdy, stranger. I haven't seen you in a long time. Is the food here any good?" A voice said sweetly with laughter.

Trent turned in the bar stool to look at the woman sitting next to him at the bar as Carlos continued to eat but watched Trent and the woman out of the corner of his eye also keeping an ear out.

"Yeah. It's pretty good. How are you doing Natalie?" Trent asked.

"I'm fine, Trent. How are you?" Natalie said her eyes twinkling.

"I'm doing pretty well." Trent replied with wide smile.

"What do you do?" Carlos asked when neither of them had spoken for a while.

"I'm a real estate agent." Natalie replied as she looked at Carlos. "I remember you. You're Carlos. I heard you two had reconnected."

"Yup. Well, Natalie, that's wonderful. You know, Trent is looking for a place to live. Actually, our friend Butch told him about a place not far from his mom's house, and he's been meaning to take a look at it. Since you are a real estate agent, Trent could use your expertise to determine whether or not it is a good price." Carlos said with a mock innocent smile as Trent sent a glare at him.

* * *

_ 2:20 PM _

Trent drove Natalie to the house that was only a block away from his childhood home. He told her about Thunder Karate and Thunder Investigations. Once they had arrived, they got out and headed in, since Trent had already called the real estate agent and she had told him where the key was once she had discovered he was one of Butch's friends.

Once they had gone through the kitchen, dining room and the little parlor they headed to the living room.

Natalie stood in the living room taking in everything around her and talking about what Trent could do with it. Sunlight streamed in from the picture window and caused her hair to shine like gold.

Natalie stopped talking when she realized Trent hadn't said a word or even entered the room. She turned and looked in his eyes and recognized that look in his blue eyes.

"Well, I have to get going, Trent. I'm having dinner with my folks and sister. I'll catch you later." Natalie said as she headed toward the door.

"Why don't you come by Thunder Karate tomorrow?" Trent said with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Natalie turned to look at him and gave him a smile. "All right, I'll see you there tomorrow. You don't need to drive me home because I can walk home from here. My parents just live a couple of blocks from here."

"Yeah, I remember." Trent replied with a smile.

* * *

_5:00 PM_

Trent had gone to Thunder Karate to work out before he finally returned to Uppercuts and sat in a booth that had a view of the street. Kendra came over with two beers, sat down across from him, and took a sip from one of the beers.

"I heard your high school sweetheart's in town." Kendra commented with a grin.

"Uh, yeah, she is." Trent replied as he grabbed the bottle of beer and stared at it, not even taking a sip.

"Hits ya, don't it? That first love feeling." Kendra sighed and looked out the window. People were strolling down the street enjoying the evening before they had to go to work the next day and a family of five was headed out to eat but Kendra saw something else entirely as she stared off into the distance.

"That first love feels as though you two are the only ones that exist and that you'll be together until the day you die. Usually it doesn't happen, but it's more magical, more profound when it does." Kendra sighed again and finished her beer.

Kendra stood up and leaned over to whisper into Trent's ear. "Ask her to the reunion." Then she straightened and headed back to the bar. Trent took a long sip from his beer as Carlos walked over.

_ Later that night around 1:00 AM _

The figure returned to the secret room not in glee but in anger. Anger that burned through the figure's heart and placed dark clouds around the life that they were _supposed_ to share together.

No. The figure shook its head. At the life and love that they _are_ _going_ to share together for eternity, for their love was true and pure.

The figure cut out the figure's true love and set that part off to the side. Then the figure took a silver letter opener and slashed the beautiful face of the woman who was trying to ruin the figure's life and take true love away.

* * *

guardianM3: Please review to let me know what you all think.


	4. Chapter 4: Questions

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 4: Questions

_ Monday, August 12 at 7:50AM _

Kendra entered the old brick building, headed down the hallway, and took a right and then a left. She entered the classroom and sat down in a chair that had been her seat for three days. Kendra had decided to take a seminar about the animals and plants in Texas. The class met once a week and was two hours long.

When it was eight o'clock and the professor had arrived, Kendra looked at the door waiting for her friend Cassie to come through the door. Kendra frowned as the minutes ticked by and her friend still hadn't arrived.

Of course, since Kendra was slightly distracted, even though it was for a good reason, the professor called on her. Kendra snapped her head back toward the front of the room and gave the professor one of her incredible smiles. "I'm sorry professor could you repeat that please?"

The professor looked a little miffed but the smile on Kendra's face must have had some type of magic in it and the professor repeated the question that Kendra answered correctly.

Kendra remained focused for the rest of the class. At least she was trying to focus all of her attention on the class but she continued to glance at the empty desk next to her or at the door. As time slipped by, the worry continued to build up within her.

* * *

_ 9:45 AM _

A miracle had finally occurred. Since the participants of the seminar had done so well in answering all of the questions that the professor had fired at them, she had allowed them to leave fifteen minutes early.

Kendra gathered her books and pens and headed to the payphone located just outside the building. She dialed her friend's number and listened as it rang. The phone was picked up after the fifth ring.

"Hello?" A female voice said.

"Hey, Cassie, it's Kendra. Are you all right?" Kendra asked with concern in her voice that reached Cassie.

"Oh, Kendra, I'm so sorry. I forgot to give you a call. I had a family emergency and I couldn't make it to class." Cassie replied with reassurance in her voice.

Kendra frowned into the receiver. Her gut was telling her something wasn't right, but she decided that she should take her friend at her word. "All right. I hope everything is ok."

"Yes…yes. Everything is all right now." Cassie said and it seemed as though she was attempting to sound cheerful.

"All right. Take it easy, Cassie. I'll talk to you later." Kendra said but that feeling that something wasn't right continued to escalate but she fought it.

"Thanks, Kendra. Bye now."

Kendra hung up the phone still frowning and her gut still sending its warning signals as she headed down the street. Something still bothered Kendra about Cassie's excuse for missing the class and the only reason Kendra had for suspecting that something wasn't right, and that was her gut. Kendra shook her head to clear her thoughts and continued heading to Uppercuts but she decided to make a quick stop before she headed to the bar.

* * *

_ 10:15 AM _

Trent heard the squeal of tires followed by a shrill scream. He had been dusting his office area of Thunder Karate but dropped the duster, ran down the stairs and out the door. About twenty feet from him, he saw someone beginning to stand up before two women who were on the ground. He recognized the woman standing up as Kendra.

"You all right?" Kendra asked the two women as she bent down to help the one in a suit with a skirt with matching high heels and a large, expensive purse.

Trent helped the other woman, who was actually Natalie and she wore jeans and a green tank top. "Are you all right, Natalie?" Trent asked once she was standing on her feet and she just replied with a quick nod of her head.

The woman Kendra was helping was on her feet and was brushing dirt off of her suit. "Yes, I'm all right. That van tried to hit us!" The curly red-haired woman said as she pointed in the direction the vehicle had gone and then brought her hands to her hair making sure each curl was in its proper place.

"Thank you for saving us." Natalie said giving Kendra a smile. "I'm Natalie Wilson by the way." She said as she held out her hand.

Kendra accepted Natalie's outstretched hand and they shook. "I'm Kendra Stone."

"I apologize for forgetting my manners. Thank you for saving us. I'm Stephanie Plum." The woman wearing the stylish suit said as she grabbed Kendra's hand and shook it.

"Don't worry about it. You were just a little distracted." Kendra replied with a kind smile.

"You saved them?" Trent asked Kendra seriously.

Kendra quirked her eyebrow and grinned at Trent. "Well, Thunder Boy, I'm not the only one who gets in trouble around here."

"All right." Trent raised his hands as though surrendering to her. "Kendra, can you call the police, please?" Trent said becoming serious again as he handed her his cell phone. Natalie felt a twinge of jealously in her gut at Trent and Kendra's exchange.

Kendra stepped ten feet away from them to call the police while Trent asked Natalie and Stephanie questions about the incident. Kendra returned to the group and announced that a couple of officers would arrive there shortly. They decided to wait in front of Thunder Karate even though Trent had offered Natalie and Stephanie a place to sit down, but they both had declined the offer.

* * *

_ 12:00 PM _

After talking with the Detectives Ryan and Jacobs, Kendra headed to Uppercuts where she was supposed to have met Hunter there at 11:30. Kendra was puzzled as to why someone would want to run down Natalie Wilson and Stephanie Plum. They were very nice, even though Stephanie was a little snobby; she was still a decent person. Kendra entered the bar and spotted Hunter and Carlos sitting together.

Kendra went over to the table and said hello to them. "Oh yeah, Kendra, I forgot to ask you yesterday, how did your date go?" Carlos asked with a smirk.

"It went well Carlos." Kendra remarked as she sat down in between Hunter and Carlos. Then, she smacked Carlos on the back of his head.

"OW! What did you do that for?" Carlos asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You know why. I'll get Gage later." Kendra replied as she took a sip of Carlos' beer. Once she had set the bottle back onto the table, Carlos swiped it away and drank the rest of it.

"What happened?" Hunter asked when he saw the blue fire in Kendra's eyes that he knew wasn't because of Carlos' scheme.

Kendra sat down with a frown on her face. "Trent's friends, Natalie and Stephanie were almost hit by a car. Well, actually it was a van."

"Are they all right?" Carlos asked as he set the bottle back onto the table. His curiosity arose and he was worried how Trent had acted to the incident. Natalie Wilson was Trent's first love and Carlos knew his best friend still had feelings for her.

"Yeah, they were just startled." Kendra replied as the expressions on the women's faces flashed into her mind.

"Did you guys see the make and model of the van? The color? The license plate?" Carlos asked.

Kendra closed her eyes and pictured the van in her mind. "The van was black and kinda square, and I think it's from the eighties. There was no license plate, but the left taillight was out." Kendra opened her eyes.

"Did you call the police?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, and guess who showed up?" Kendra said with disdain dripping in her voice and a look that Carlos couldn't tell if it was of disgust or annoyance. He guessed it was a combination of both.

"Ryan." Carlos answered and shook his head. "You didn't try to hit him or anything, did you Kendra?"

"No, of course not Carlos. I would never assault an officer." Kendra replied firmly.

"You smacked me!" Carlos pointed out.

"Yeah, but you a _former_ officer and besides, you deserved it anyway." Kendra remarked haughtily.

"Hey, earlier you said you were going to smack Gage and he's a Ranger." Hunter pointed out.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Kendra asked glaring at Hunter, but he knew that she was just faking. At least he hoped that she was faking the glare.

"Hey! Wait a minute; I didn't deserve to be smacked. If I hadn't come up with that idea, then you two would still be in the 'friend stage'." Carlos said tapping his first to fingers on the table to enforce his reason across to Kendra.

"For your information, Carlos, we were just about to get out of the friend stage anyway and besides, how could you even think that I would like a stuffy, snobby restaurant like that." Kendra paused for a moment. "You take your dates there, don't you?"

Carlos grinned slyly. "Not all the time." Kendra didn't reply and just shook her head.

Butch came over to the table with a beer for Carlos and a cup of coffee for Kendra. "It seems that you two need to take a couple of rounds in the ring."

"Hey, that's an excellent idea." Kendra replied her eyes shining in excitement.

"Uh. That's ok, Butch, we have things settled now." Carlos replied as he moved away from Kendra and took a long drink from his beer. Kendra smiled mischievously at Carlos.

"Well, I have to get back to the office." Hunter said as he put some bills on the table and pecked Kendra on the cheek. "I'll see you later." Kendra and Carlos both said their goodbyes and he left.

About five minutes after Hunter had left, Trent walked in with Natalie and Stephanie. He brought the two women over to the table where Kendra and Carlos sat. "Hey, guys." Trent said to get their attention.

"Hey, how are you two feeling?" Kendra asked and then indicated with a wave of her hand that they all should sit down, which they accepted the offer. Trent grabbed a chair from an empty table and sat in between Natalie and Carlos.

"We are both fine, thank you. We were just frightened and angered at the driver." Stephanie turned to face Carlos. Who are you?" Stephanie asked Carlos with a kind smile.

"I'm Carlos Sandoval." He said with a nod for a greeting since it was easier than trying to reach their hands across the table since there were obstacles in the way.

"I'm Stephanie Plum and this is Natalie Wilson." She said as she returned Carlos' nod with one of her one, but hers was more graceful. "Carlos? I didn't recognize you. You used to have long hair back in high school." Stephanie said giving him a smile.

"Long hair? Please don't tell me he had a mullet. What? Don't give me that look." Kendra said as she raised her coffee cup to her lips to hide a smile from a glaring Carlos.

Carlos shifted his attention back to the other two women. "So, are you two going to the reunion?"

"Yes, of course, Natalie is going. I mean she came from San Antonio just to go to the reunion and I am head of the Alumni Committee. Therefore, I have planned the entire reunion and I will be attending. The reunion will be beautiful. You will be attending, Carlos?" Stephanie asked with a gracious smile.

"Uh. Yeah I was planning on it. I sent in the little card saying I was going." Carlos replied and took a sip from his beer. Stephanie was giving him a strange look that he couldn't determine what the look meant. He wasn't certain if he even _wanted_ to know.

"Excellent, now I want you both to tell me what you have been doing for the past ten years. This is our tenth reunion and we are setting up information boards filled the events and details that everyone from our class has been doing since graduation." Stephanie grabbed a red leather-bound notebook from her purse and a pen. She began asking Trent and Carlos questions while Kendra went to get them some drinks.

* * *

guardianM3: Thanks to all who have reviewed this story and I hope you guys will continue to review. Reviews help me improve. You can yell at me, offer suggestions, guesses, constructive criticism, etc. And let me know what you all think about this chapter _and_ the story so far. I'm trying to put in enough details and descriptions, but I am also working on a Mystic Knights fan fiction and working on the details for several more volumes of my Kendra Stone series.


	5. Chapter 5: Mysterious Occurrences

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

guardianM3: Thanks to naughtylibra for pointing out that, it seemed as though Kendra was going to go see her friend. That was the original plan but I changed it and in the process, I left out why Kendra had shown up to save Stephanie and Natalie. I'll explain it in this chapter. Sorry about that, I try to make sure I explain things, but hey, mistakes happen. This is why it is good to review. Hint. Hint.

* * *

Chapter 5: Mysterious Occurrences

_Monday, August 11 at 4:00 PM_

Once Stephanie and Natalie had left the bar, the two PIs had gone up to their office to finish some paperwork on a case they had closed on Saturday.

"So, are you going with Natalie to the reunion?" Carlos asked his best friend with a knowing smile.

"No. I haven't asked her yet. We haven't seen each other in ten years, so there is a lot of catching up to do." Trent replied as he leaned back from his typing, stretched his arms over his head and then placed his hands behind his head.

"So? You know her better than anyone else does, so just ask her to go to the reunion with you. She's beautiful, smart and successful." Carlos said with a sharp nod of his head.

Trent lips became a reminiscing smile as he thought about Natalie and him at the senior prom. She had been dressed in a long, glittering dress that matched her eyes. She had taken off her strapped heels after the fifth dance because they were new and she hadn't had time to break them in yet. They had gone to a lake and watched the moon shimmering on the calm water.

"Uh, Trent. Do you want me call my friend and see what they found out about that van?" Carlos asked uncertainly since it seemed to him that his friend was daydreaming.

"Yeah, sure. That would be great." Trent replied broken out of his daydream as he leaned forward and went back to working on his computer.

Carlos smiled as he picked up the phone and dialed his friend's number. "Hey, Tony, it's Carlos. Yeah, yeah, I know. Uh. I have to ask you for a favor. I want to know what you guys found out about that van that almost hit a couple of women. Call me back, soon. Thanks buddy." Carlos hung up and waited for his friend to call him back with the information, if there was any.

Carlos glanced at his friend who had stopped typing and seemed to be staring at the monitor as though he were in a trance. Carlos shook his head and knew that his friend was worried and angry that someone tried to hurt Natalie and even Stephanie. Carlos frowned at the phone willing it to call back, hopefully with some information about the owner of that van.

Two hours later, Kim came bursting into the room with a long box with a red bow. "Someone has a delivery!" Kim said excitedly and with a large grin on her face. The grin disappeared quickly once she saw the melancholy and angry looks on the two PIs faces. "What's wrong?" Kim asked as she stood before them, box forgotten in her hands.

"No information on the van that tried to hit Natalie and Stephanie." Carlos said and when Kim looked at him in confusion, he clarified. "Natalie is Trent's high school sweetheart who has come into town for the reunion and Stephanie is the one head of the Alumni."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear about that. Are they all right?" Kim asked worriedly.

"Yeah, Kendra saved them." Carlos replied and glanced at the silent Trent who hadn't even moved and looked as though he was lost in his thoughts.

"Thank goodness." Suddenly Kim remembered the box in her hands. "Oh, yeah. Trent, you have a package."

Trent shook his head to clear his mind and rose from his chair. He came around the desk and accepted the box from Kim. He looked at Kim. "There wasn't a card?"

Kim shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there's a card inside."

Trent nodded and slipped the bow off one end of the box and then he opened it with caution, knowing well that it may be something quite unexpected.

"Five roses?" Kim exclaimed once she saw the contents of the box. "Look, here's the note."

Trent picked up the note and set the box with the roses in it onto his desk. He opened the note and read it. When he was finished, he looked up at Kim with a strange look on his face. Carlos came over, took the note from his friend's hand, and read it out loud.

"_My eternal love, no one shall deter us from being together. _

_These roses symbolize our love and the life we will share for the rest of our days on earth and when we are together in heaven._

_- Your eternal lover."_

Carlos looked up from the note and at his best friend who had narrowed his eyes and had held his chin in his left hand. Carlos looked at Kim. "Who sent this?"

Kim shrugged. "A delivery guy."

"Kim! This is just a little…odd." Carlos said as he looked at the card and stared at it as though he were willing it to reveal who had sent it.

"Kim, please call and find out the nameof this delivery guy. I want to speak with him." Trent said as he looked at the note again.

"All right. I'll get right on it." Kim said as she went back into the reception area.

"You might have a stalker. This doesn't seem like something Natalie would write. Is it?" Carlos asked as he set the note down on top of the roses in the box.

"No, Natalie would never write anything like that." Trent replied as he and Carlos stared at the box for a few moments, both wondering what this mysterious 'eternal lover' had planned.

* * *

_ 1:20 AM _

Kendra entered the all-night diner and spotted Hunter seated in the back corner looking out a window. The diner was a mirror of itself back in the fifties when it had first opened. The booths had plush apple-red cushions and sturdy tables. The floor was black and white checkered tile and was kept sparkling clean. There was a jukebox playing an oldies tune in one corner of the diner.

She walked over to the booth and sat down across from Hunter. He was still gazing out of the window and hadn't seemed to notice that she was there. She grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip. He had put too much cream in it for her taste, but coffee was coffee.

"Hello, stranger." Kendra said as she set the empty cup of coffee back down in its original location and position.

Hunter turned and gave Kendra his dashing smile. "Hey. You're late."

Kendra shrugged. "I had quite a mess to clean, some of the patrons decided that they wanted to squirt a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of mustard onto the floor in a race to see which condiment would be empty first."

Hunter just nodded his head. "I heard that you saved Stephanie Plum and Natalie Wilson from being hit by a car." Hunter said as he picked up the cup and when he noticed it was empty, he raised an eyebrow and shot Kendra a look.

Kendra pretended she hadn't seen the look. "How did you…right…never mind." Kendra said shaking her head because she had forgotten that he tends to hear information since he works in the DA's office.

A waiter came to their table, asked for their orders and left. In less then a minute, the waiter returned with a pot of coffee and a coffee cup. The waiter filled their cups and left again.

Once the waiter had left again, Kendra told Hunter about her friend missing the class and the phone conversation. "Why didn't you just go see her?" Hunter asked as he added two creams and a packet of sugar to his coffee.

"Well, I wanted to talk with Trent about it. He's a PI and knows when something suspicious is going on and I didn't know if I should stick my unwanted nose into someone else's business." Kendra replied with a frown.

"If your gut is telling you that she is trouble, then she is in trouble. And besides, when do you not stick your nose in other people's business?" Hunter said the last part with a grin.

Hunter felt a little hurt that Kendra hadn't come to see him about the situation, but the feeling went away when Kendra shot him a grin and she threw a packet of sugar at him.

The waiter returned with their orders of two burgers done medium well both with lettuce, tomato, cheese and onion, a basket of fries, a basket of onion rings and two large chocolate shake.

"Why do you not listen to your gut feelings?" Hunter asked and then took a bite from his burger.

"I listened to them once and my interpretation was way off base. Chaos ensued and my instincts lost my trust." Kendra replied as she grabbed a couple of fries, dipped them into some ketchup and ate them.

"I'm surprised you let that stop you. You certainly can't let one occurrence deter you from listening to your gut feelings."

Kendra shrugged and frowned. "You're right, Hunter, I shouldn't let that happen. Thanks for the encouraging speech." She said as she smiled at him.

Hunter nodded. "Ok, but it was more of a sentence of wisdom than a speech. Well, how about tomorrow morning we go and see your friend. If something is wrong, then your gut feeling is right and you should believe in it in the first place. If everything is fine, then you can just say you wanted to take her out to lunch."

"Not bad, Mr. Prescott. I'm rather surprised I didn't think of it."

"Sometimes all you need an outsider's perspective."

"I don't consider you an outsider." Kendra replied giving Hunter a smile which he returned.

They left the diner hand in hand at quarter after two. Suddenly a shot rang out and Kendra and Hunter both dived to the ground. The bullet shattered one of the windows of the diner. They laid there for several minutes but no more shots were fired. "Are you all right?" Hunter asked as they began to cautiously get up off the street.

"No I am not. I'm getting really tired of being shot at!" Kendra exclaimed fiercely.

Hunter pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number that was for speed dial.

"You called Walker, didn't you? He has a baby, ya know." Kendra pointed out.

"Would you rather I have called Detective Ryan?" Hunter asked as the phone rang.

"Good point." Kendra replied as Hunter spoke with Walker. He shut the cell phone and said that he would be there in fifteen minutes.

They stood there as two uniformed officers from DPD came in a cruiser flashing its red and blue lights, with Walker's truck right behind them.

Walker and Trivette stepped out of the truck and walked over to Kendra and Hunter. "Hey, guys. Getting a late night snack?" Kendra said attempting to lighten the mood, but mostly she was trying not to throw a punch at something.

The two police officers had stepped out of the cruiser and walked up to the group. "Hello, Rangers, I'm Officer Duvall, this is my partner Hicks. Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm Ranger Trivette and this is Ranger Walker. You can go inside the diner and start taking statements." The officers nodded and headed into the diner, obviously they have heard about Walker and Trivette.

"What happened?" Walker asked with concern in his voice.

"We got shot at. Again." Kendra replied with a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.

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guardianM3: Please review with thoughts, comments, constructive criticism, etc.


	6. Chapter 6: Following Gut Feelings

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 6: Following Gut Feelings

_Tuesday, August 13 at 6:30 AM_

Kendra awoke to the sound of bacon frying and someone moving around in her kitchen. Kendra looked at the clock, saw the time and groaned. She hadn't gotten to bed until four, since her and Hunter had told Walker and Trivette what had happened outside of the diner. Kendra and Hunter hadn't seen any suspicious vechiles or people around the diner.

Hunter had been worried that Kendra could have gotten hurt and that it may have been his fault if the bullet was meant for him. Kendra told Hunter that it may very well be the other way around because she had made a few enemies of her very own.

Walker and Trivette told them both to be safe and when they had said those words, Walker had given them firm looks that ensured that he wouldn't receive any objections. Walker and Trivette had escorted them to Kendra's car because Hunter had insisted that he was going to stay the night at Kendra's apartment and make sure that whoever had shot at them wouldn't kill Kendra while she slept. Kendra had argued but when Walker and Trivette said that it was a good idea she scowled and threw her hands up into the air and said 'men'.

Kendra slid out of bed and slipped her feet into a pair of fuzzy blue slippers. She walked soundlessly out into the hallway and headed into the kitchen. She walked over the coffee pot and filled one of the mugs that Hunter had set out.

Hunter said "Good Morning." Kendra just nodded, stifled a yawn and sat down at the small four-chair table off to the side of the little kitchen. Hunter just flipped some bacon over in one pan and some French toast over in another. He knew that Kendra wasn't fully awake yet and wouldn't be until she had at _least_ two cups of coffee in her before she was even remotely responsive. He was still tired having slept less than two hours, but he was used to a small amount asleep especially when he was working on a difficult case and he was unable to shut off his brain for very long.

Once the breakfast was ready, Hunter brought all of the food to the table as well as all of the necessary toppings. Before he sat down, he filled Kendra's empty cup as well as his own.

Kendra stabbed a couple of French toast with her fork and once the French toast was onto her plate, she used the small set of tongs to grab six pieces of bacon. Hunter had also cut up some strawberries and a grapefruit, which Kendra placed several pieces of each onto a smaller plate beside her larger one. She buttered her French toast and poured syrup over top. She took a sip of her coffee before she began eating her breakfast. Hunter filled up his plates at and they ate and drank their coffee in silence for about twenty minutes.

"So, do you want to see your friend today?" Hunter asked once Kendra had finished her second cup of coffee.

"Yeah, she doesn't have to work until the afternoon, so we can drop by her house later this morning." Kendra answered and then finished off the last piece of bacon on her plate.

Hunter nodded and went to finishing his breakfast.

* * *

_9:30 AM_

Carlos walked through the door of Thunder Investigations with a travel coffee mug clutched in one hand and the morning paper in the other. "Morning, Kim." Carlos greeted, never taking his eyes off the front page of the paper.

"Morning, Carlos." Kim replied never taking her eyes of the computer screen.

Carlos opened the door to the office he shared with Trent and walked in, went to his desk and sat down in his chair.

"I've never seen you so focused on reading, Carlos." Trent said from his desk.

"Ha, ha." Carlos said sarcastically, but was glad that his friend was joking around. Ever since Natalie and Stephanie had almost been hit by a car, Trent had been unusually quiet and sullen.

Trent came over to Carlos' desk and read over his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly and then focused intently just as Carlos had done earlier.

Trent read aloud:

_"'The young and handsome, Assistant District Attorney Hunter Prescott had left the diner with an unidentified woman. A shot had been fired at the counselor and his friend, but neither was injured.'"_

"This reporter, Cynthia Bell, seems to have a crush on Hunter." Carlos commented dryly. "I can't believe someone took a shot at Hunter and Kendra again!"

Someone had taken a shot at Kendra and Hunter back in June while they were sitting in a café drinking coffee and chatting. Butch had told them about it after they had been rescued which had thwarted Kendra's attempt to keep the whole thing quiet especially the part where the bullet had grazed her arm.

Trent had finished reading the article and looked at Carlos. The sullen and angry look had returned to his blue eyes.

"Look, Trent, I called Tony before I left for work and he still hasn't heard anything about that van." Carlos said quickly, knowing full what that look had implied and what Trent was just about to ask his friend.

"Who do you think took a shot at them?" Trent asked as he frowned at the paper as several ideas fluttered around in his head.

Suddenly, Kim knocked on the door, opened it and poked her head in. "You guys have a new client." She said with a strange look on her voice and indicated that they should come into the reception area. Trent and Carlos shot each other slightly puzzled looks as they stood and followed Kim out the door.

Sitting in large, cushioned armchairs, dangled two sets of feet over a foot off the ground, sat a young boy and girl who were both under ten years old. The boy had blond hair and expressional blue eyes. There was no mistaking that he was a Malloy. Tyler Malloy was the second youngest of the Malloy family. Sitting to his left was a dark haired girl with dark eyes clutching onto a hot pink piggy bank.

"Why, hello there Tyler, and who might this pretty girl be?" Carlos asked with a wide, welcoming smile.

"This is my friend, Anita Banks." Tyler introduced the girl.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Anita. I'm Trent, Tyler's older brother." Trent gave the girl a dazzling smile.

"I'm Carlos. It's nice to meet you, Anita." Carlos said warmly the curiosity evident in his voice and on his face.

"I want to hire you to find my cat, Mr. Bonkers." Anita said firmly with a stubborn look that reminded the two PI's instantly of Kendra.

"Well, Miss Banks, we don't normally search for lost pets…" As Carlos said these words, Anita's eyes filled with tears but a streak of stubbornness remained on her face. "…but we would be glad to help you search for you lost cat." Carlos finished quickly.

"Thank you." Anita said as she hopped off of her chair and thrust her piggy bank into Carlos' hands. "I've already given Miss Sutter a picture of Mr. Bonkers. Please let me know when you have found my kitty." The girl said rather business-like and headed to the door.

Carlos and Trent shot each other surprised glances as Tyler got up from his chair and went to follow Anita. The two kids went out the door leaving Carlos holding the piggy bank slightly shocked.

"Do you think she is somehow related to Kendra?" Carlos asked as he stared down at the object in his hands with a bewildered look on his face. Trent and Kim just smiled at Carlos.

* * *

_10:00 AM_

Kendra stepped out of her car and looked over car's roof at Hunter and then she looked at the little white house with blue shutters. Kendra knew Cassie was home because she didn't have to work until one o'clock this afternoon and Cassie's car was parked in the driveway.

"Are you ready to go knock on the door?" Hunter asked and Kendra nodded as she shut the car door.

They walked up to the door and Kendra pressed the button for the doorbell. She could faintly hear the _ding-dong_ resonate inside the house and footsteps coming closer as someone came toward the door. Kendra saw from the corner of her left eye curtains fluttering from a window.

The door open slowly, almost reluctantly, and finally opened completely as a woman in her late twenties stood before them. Her long and dark red hair framed her narrow face and frightened hazel eyes stared at Hunter and Kendra.

"Hello, Cassie," Kendra said cheerfully and then noticed something on Cassie's right arm. Kendra stared at the bruise on her friend's arm that looked as though a hand was still grasping and squeezing the arm fiercely. Cassie must have seen that Kendra had noticed the bruise as she quickly crossed her arms and placed her hand over the bruise to hide it.

Kendra's smile turned into a deep frown as she studied Cassie a little more closely. Cassie had make-up on, which the presence of the make-up wasn't unusual, but the fact was that it was a lot thicker especially around Cassie's right eye. Kendra's eyes squinted as she looked more closely at the right eye. Kendra was able to detect that the right eye was slightly more swollen than the left eye and Kendra's frown became a scowl.

Hunter had noticed the same things that Kendra had and was disturbed about it because he had to force a smile onto his lips to hide a scowl of his own. "Hello, Cassie. I'm Hunter. Are you all right?" Hunter asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you and it is a pleasure to meet you, Hunter." Cassie said pleasantly.

"Has someone hurt you Cassie?" Kendra asked rather bluntly.

"NO!" Cassie screeched fiercely. Her eyes widened but then she set her jaw determinedly and looked sternly at Kendra. "No." Cassie said with a calm voice.

Kendra and Hunter both knew that Cassie was trying all she could to keep her voice steady. "Are you sure about that? I can help you, Cassie. Hunter and I can help you." Kendra said gently.

"No, thank you. I have to go now. Don't come here again." Cassie said firmly and then shut the door in their faces.

"That went rather well, didn't it?" Hunter said as he turned to look at a frowning Kendra who didn't answer. "Let's go. We can find a way to somehow convince her to tell us."

Kendra nodded her head and followed Hunter back to her car. They both got in; Kendra started the car and drove away from Cassie's house. Hunter remained silent sensing that Kendra didn't feel like talking. Kendra's mouth was set in a firm and determined line as she thought about how she was going to help her friend.

* * *

guardianM3: Please review with thoughts, comments, constructive criticism, questions, etc.


	7. Chapter 7: Argument

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 7: Argument

_Tuesday, August 13 at 11:30 AM_

Trent and Carlos were working at their desks as usual. Carlos was on the phone trying to find out any information about Trent's love letter writer and the van that almost crushed Natalie and Stephanie. Trent was trying to figure out who would have sent him those roses and the strange note. He also thought that the five roses must mean something, but he didn't have any leads.

Kim walked through the open door of the inner office with a mug in her hands. "What did you find about the delivery man yesterday?" Kim asked as she set a hot cup of coffee on Trent's desk.

Carlos stared at the cup and then looked at Kim wondering if he was getting a cup of coffee or not. Kim didn't notice this or maybe she ignored the look that Carlos was giving her, either way, Carlos knew he would have to get his own cup of coffee.

"The delivery man was paid in cash. The box of roses with the note attached was dropped off at a post box where the delivery man picked it up, so there were no witnesses and no camera to catch this person."

"There were no fingerprints on the box or the note other than Kim's, the delivery man and yours." Carlos said as he stood up and headed into the outer office to get a cup of coffee.

"Well that was a dead end, just like with the van that almost hit Natalie and Stephanie." Trent sighed loudly with frustration and rubbed his eyes.

"It'll be all right, Trent. Stephanie and Natalie weren't harmed and we'll find out who sent you that box." Kim said reassuringly.

"Yeah, we'll find out who this crazy person is, Trent." Carlos said as he returned to the office with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand and sat down at his desk.

"Yes. I think Carlos should stay at your place so he can keep an eye out." Kim suggested.

"No, I'll be fine, Kim." Trent replied.

Kim's eyes narrowed. "Look, Trent, don't you dare even think about doing something on your own. We are a team and we are going to stick together. There is someone stalking you and Carlos and I want to make sure you're safe. Think about your family, aren't you worried about them?"

"I'm staying in the hotel with Natalie to keep an eye on her." Trent said.

"What? You didn't tell us?" Kim yelled.

"I'm a grown man, Kim. You and Carlos don't have to be told everything I do." Trent said as he stood up.

"She may not be a client, Trent, but we are all working on this together. Have you forgotten that we are team?" Kim cried out in frustration. "You're being stubborn as a cork stuck in a wine bottle."

"So are we going to eat now, or later?" Carlos asked as he stepped in between Kim and Trent. It was just getting a little too weird for him; he has never seen Kim and Trent so angry at one another before.

"Later. Then we can talk to Kendra." Trent replied as he sat back down and leafed through a pile of folders.

Kim sniffed and raised her chin. "Right. Cause we have to think about the safety of our friends and not be an overgrown, arrogant buffoon who won't allow his friends to help." She slammed the door as she left the room.

"Good going Trent, now we have to deal with that for the rest of the day. Maybe even a week." Carlos joked and chuckled. When he looked at Trent whose face was still contorted in anger, Carlos' smile vanished and he settled into his work.

* * *

_2:50 PM_

Kendra entered the busy Uppercuts and headed to the rack where her apron was hanging when Trent, Carlos and Kim came up to her. "Yes?" Kendra asked with one eyebrow quirked.

"Are you all right?" Trent asked studying her for any injuries or bandages.

"Yes. What is wrong with you guys? Why are you all staring at me like that?" Kendra asked as she sidestepped them and went to retrieve her apron.

"This is what is wrong with them." Butch said as he produced a newspaper from underneath the bar and held it out toward Kendra.

Kendra frowned and took the newspaper. Her frown became deeper as she read the article about Hunter and the unidentified woman.

"Great. Who is this Cynthia Bell anyway? It's obvious she has lousy sources." Kendra said with disgust as she dropped the newspaper onto the bar and looked at her friends.

"I'm fine and Hunter's fine. The bullet hit the glass of the diner." Kendra looked down at the newspaper again and shook her head appalled that a reporter on a newspaper was writing a story that belonged more in a tabloid. "Stop worrying." Kendra commanded at the continuous looks of concern on her friends' faces.

"Well, it's just the last you time that you two were shot at…" Carlos began but Kendra cut him off.

"Drop it, will you? The Rangers and Hunter caught that assassin and Hunter assured me that the man who had sent him wasn't ever going to do that again."

"Actually, we were thinking it might be someone who is after you. Most likely someone connected with The Coyote." Kim said quickly to make sure that Kendra didn't interrupt her.

"I seriously doubt it. I haven't heard a word about him since he was sent to jail. So, there is no reason for you guys to get upset or even worry about me." Kendra was annoyed but she really didn't want her friends to worry about her.

"All right, Kendra. Just be careful." Trent said softly.

"Yes, Kendra, we want you to be safe and not do anything foolish." Kim said as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Trent.

"I will. So, what have you guys been up to anyway?" Kendra said as she looked from Trent to a very angry Kim.

"Uh…nothing much." Carlos replied as he stepped away from Trent and Kim to grab his soda.

"Right." Kendra said sarcastically with a raised eyebrow. "All right, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, Kendra. It's just a stubborn mule who is being an idiot." Kim replied.

"And someone who will not drop anything." Trent retorted.

"Hey, if you two wanna fight, why don't we put you two in the boxing ring?" Butch suggested shooting them a fierce look.

"I have to go. I have a class to teach." Trent said as he left the bar.

"I'm going to go sit at a table and finish my lunch." Kim said as she grabbed her plate from the bar and headed toward an empty table.

Butch sighed and looked at the unusually silent Carlos. "What happened, Carlos?"

"They got into a fight earlier. I've never seen them fight like _that _before this whole stalker business started and the fact that Trent's ex-girlfriend almost got hit by a car."

"What stalker business?" Kendra and Butch asked at the same time.

"Uh, no one told you guys?" Carlos asked and they both replied with a shake of their heads.

"You should tell us everything." Kendra said as she sat down on a stool and dragged Carlos onto one of his own. Carlos sighed and began telling them about the roses and the strange note.

Angry eyes studied Trent as he spoke with to the two little twits inside the bar. Then, the eyes brightened as Trent left the bar slamming the door behind him. The stalker laughed, knowing that Trent had become angry with his friends. He had told them that he has chosen his eternal love over his thoughtless friends who didn't even know him.

The stalker followed Trent as he walked. The stalker knew that Trent was going to Thunder Karate, because the stalker had followed him several times before.

The stalker watched from a distance as Trent taught his class. The stalker's awe for Trent returned as the teacher showed the students some moves. His body flowed smoothly and his body and mind were one. Just as the stalker and Trent were going join together as one in this life and the next.

Several hours later, Trent left his dojo and the stalker followed closely behind, but Trent was completely unaware as he was lost in his thoughts. He had tried to relax by practicing his craft but to no avail. He didn't return to Thunder Investigations or Uppercuts. He decided he needed some advice and there was only one person he could speak to about everything.

* * *

_8:00 PM_

"So, Trent didn't come back to the office?" Kendra asked as she handed Carlos a beer. She was behind the bar filling in for Butch who had gone to speak to some friends of his who were sitting at a table.

He accepted the beer and shook his head. "I don't know where he went. It's not like him to do this sort of thing." Carlos raised the beer to his lips.

"He'll be all right, Carlos." Kendra said rather unconvincingly

Carlos frowned and put the bottle down onto the bar. "Who are you trying to convince Kendra, me or you?"

"Gee, Carlos, sorry if I was trying to make you feel better." Kendra said as her eyes narrowed.

"That's enough you two. Is it something in the water? Trent and Kim are already at verbally throwing punches at each other and I don't want you two to start throwing your own. Now apologize" Butch said as returned and went to stand behind the bar.

"Sorry, Carlos." Kendra said.

"It's all right Kendra, I'm sorry too. We are all worried about Trent. He's just worried about Natalie. He hates it when people try to hurt the people he cares about."

"Kim is someone he cares about and he hurt her. So, that means he's not exactly focused and with distractions, he may get hurt." Kendra replied with worry.

"I'll talk with him." Butch said as he gave a firm nod of his head. Carlos and Kendra glanced at each other and knew that Butch was the man for the job.

* * *

guardianM3: Sorry this chapter was late but I've been busy. I'll try to update once a week. Remember, reviews are always welcome and appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8: A Knock on the Door

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

guardianM3: Here is the next chapter! Sorry, that it took awhile, but I have been busy! This is a bit longer than the other ones and I hope that it all makes sense. Let me know how the dialogue is. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8: A Knock on the Door

_Wednesday, August 14 at 2:00 AM_

Kendra awoke to a pounding noise. For a few minutes, she lay there contemplating her dream of coffee beer, a horse drinking a tub of whiskey in Uppercuts and two brawling leprechauns. She believed that the pounding was in her head trying to straighten out the strange dream until a voice began to shout in between the noise. Kendra strained her ears to hear what was being said.

"Kendra, its Cassie and I need…help."

At those words, Kendra jumped out of bed, ran down the short hallway into the living room and the kitchen, and unlocked the door. She swung the door open to reveal a very bruised and battered Cassie. Between the worry and concern for her friend, anger erupted deep inside Kendra but she kept it hidden as she helped Cassie into her apartment. "Are you feeling faint or dizzy?" Kendra asked as Cassie sat down on the couch.

Cassie shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "He promised he would stop. He kept on telling me that he didn't mean to and that he loved me." Cassie said as she accepted a tissue from Kendra who had taken a seat on the couch with her friend.

Kendra didn't know what to say. She could have been blunt but she didn't want Cassie to run off on her, so she remained silent as Cassie poured her story out to Kendra. Once she was finished and half the box of tissues, Kendra spoke.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." Kendra said as she stood up. "Stay here and I'll be back in a few minutes." Cassie nodded her head as Kendra ran to her room and changed from her tank top and pajama pants into a tee shirt and jeans. She went back into the living room and stood before Cassie like a bodyguard. As they headed out the door, Kendra grabbed her keys and locked up her apartment.

The drive to the hospital was in silence as each one was in their own thoughts. They arrived at the hospital in record time. Kendra brought Cassie into the clinic and asked the receptionist if Dr. O'Connell was on call. The receptionist nodded and said that the doctor would be there in fifteen minutes. Kendra and Cassie sat down and waited for the good doctor.

"Hello, Kendra. Hello, miss." I'm Dr. Hazel O'Connell, please come with me. I'll take you to the examination room."

"Hello, Doc. This is Cassie." Kendra said as she stood up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cassie." Dr. O'Connell said as she gave Cassie a warm and inviting smile.

"Nice to meet you, Doctor O'Connell." Cassie replied as she stood up and followed the doctor down the hall into an examination room with Kendra right beside her.

"I'll be standing right outside this door, ok Cassie?" Kendra said as Dr. O'Connell and a nurse that had been waiting for them helped Cassie onto the examination table. Cassie nodded as Dr. O'Connell closed the door.

Kendra stood outside the door like a sentry as the time went by. Kendra's anger flared again as her thoughts wandered to the man who had hurt Cassie. Kendra was about to punch the wall when the door opened.

Kendra ran into the room. "How are you doing, Cassie?"

Cassie gave Kendra a reassuring smile. "I'm okay. You're right, Kendra. Dr. O'Connell is the best."

"I would like to speak with you for a minute, Kendra." Dr. O'Connell said as the nurse began to chat with Cassie.

"Of course, Doc. Cassie, I'll only be a few minutes. Wait here, ok?" Cassie nodded as the nurse began to tell her a funny story about her cat trying to catch a butterfly.

Dr. O'Connell led Kendra into an empty room. "She has been abused for a long time. She needs help, especially psychologically. You should encourage her to go to the HOPE Center."

"HOPE Center?" Kendra asked with curiosity.

"Yes. Your friend can get help there. She will have someone she can speak with who knows and understands what she has gone through. Of course, she will need you as well."

"I'll be there for her." Kendra vowed.

"That's great. You are a good friend, Kendra. She is lucky to have you."

"I hope so." Kendra muttered.

"You have such a powerful heart. I'm surprised you hadn't volunteered at HOPE or that you've never even heard of it." Dr. O'Connell said as she looked at Kendra.

"Yes, well, there is the matter that I tend to get into trouble or my friends have been, so I've never really got a chance to get involved in the community. Of course, I never really thought I would be in Dallas this long. But I guess I'm staying."

"I'm glad that you are, Kendra. If you had left, Cassie may not have gotten the help she needed."

"Oh, I'm sure she had the strength within her and never really needed me to find it. But all the same, I'm glad I could help her. She is a good person who I know is going to help others once she is ready."

"Well, after the paperwork and tests are in, then you can take her to the HOPE Center."

"Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome, Kendra." Dr. O'Connell replied with a smile.

* * *

_6:30 AM_

Trent awoke to the sound of the newspaper hitting the door of his hotel room. Obviously, the deliverer wasn't too keen on being quiet to allow people to remain sleeping. His feet was greeted by the lush carpet as he stood up and headed to the door. He unlocked the door and looked down. A yellow envelope used for regular sized paper was there. Trent frowned and picked it up. There was no return address and the only thing on the envelope was his name written in large block letters. Trent pushed the door closed as he carried the envelope in one hand and walked over to the bed.

_What is this? A package sent here to me at the hotel. It may be from the stalker. I should open it carefully and make sure that I don't ruin any fingerprints the stalker may have left on it. _

Trent opened the envelope and dumped the contents on the bed. It was a collage of photos of Trent each surrounded by red hearts drawn with a marker. Trent studied some of the pictures and realized that some had been taken yesterday and some had been taken several weeks ago.

Trent got dressed and using the sleeves of his jacket put the collage back into the envelope. He put the envelope underneath his coat and left the room, securely locking the door behind him. He headed to the elevator and when the doors opened, he quickly began to walk across the lobby.

"Good morning, Trent." Natalie said cheerfully when she saw him.

Trent stopped and turned to look at her. "Morning, Natalie." Trent replied quickly glad that he had placed the envelope in the inside pocket of his coat.

"Is something wrong, Trent?" Natalie asked as she looked at Trent.

"No, nothing is wrong, Natalie. I've got to get going."

"Don't you want some breakfast?"

"Uh, no thank you. I've really got to get going. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Trent left a confused Natalie standing in the middle of the lobby.

* * *

_8:00 AM_

"Here we are Cassie. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be Kendra." Cassie said nervously as she gazed uncertainly at the HOPE Center.

"Hey, don't worry. No one is going to judge you. The people are here to help you. You shouldn't be ashamed of asking for help."

"You're right. Let's go." Cassie said with a sharp nod of her head and with determination. She opened the door and got out of the car. She was on the first step of the stairs leading onto the porch when Kendra caught up to her.

Cassie pushed the doorbell and they waited.

The door opened to reveal a blond haired woman with bright blue eyes that Kendra knew well. "Alex? What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Kendra. How are you this morning?" Alex said smiling but her smile faded when she saw Cassie. "Come on in. We can go to my office, if you like."

Cassie and Kendra entered the house, followed Alex down a hallway, and entered the last door on the left. Once they were all seated, Kendra asked Alex if she works at the HOPE Center.

"Yes, Kendra. I do. Now, I believe I should introduce myself to your friend." Alex said as she held out her hand across her desk. "I am Alex Cahill Walker and I am the Manager here."

"I'm Cassie." Cassie replied as she leaned forward and shook Alex's hand.

"Why don't you begin Cassie? And please, take all the time you need." Alex said as she gave Cassie a warm smile. Cassie began at the beginning.

_Approximately the same time_

Butch entered Thunder Karate and saw Trent doing a combo of punching and kicking a bag. He walked over to his friend, being careful not to get to close so he didn't get hit by the flying punches and kicks. "We need to talk, Trent."

"Butch, what are you doing here?" Trent asked as he stopped and turned to face Butch.

"I came to speak to you of course." Butch's eyes spotted something strange on the bench and pointed at it. "What's this?" Did you get this from that stalker that Carlos told me about?"

"I'm going to take it to the police. I just stopped here first."

"Really? Are you going to even tell Carlos and Kim about this? No, don't even start with me, Trent. They are your friends, as I am. We care about you and are worried about you."

Trent closed his eyes and sighed. "I know, but I don't want them to be targeted by my stalker."

"Did you ever think that the stalker may have been the one who tried to harm Natalie? Maybe Stephanie was just there a bystander."

"I can't believe I didn't even think of that! How could I have been so stupid?"

"Good. You've realized that you have been foolish, so I hope you and Kim are able to talk things out because Uppercuts is getting pretty dismal with her being all grumpy."

"You're right, Butch. I've just been concerned about Natalie. I hate that someone has tried to hurt her and Stephanie."

Butch's face softened. "Yes, I understand that sometimes you can be distracted by allowing your emotions to become entangled in the situation. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you should push your emotions down into your gut so that it comes exploding out later, but you can use that energy to help you do what you need to do."

"Thanks, Butch. I'm glad that you came to see me."

"Yeah, well. If me talking with ya didn't work, I was either going to punch you or call Walker. I'm glad I didn't have to do either one."

"You were going to call Walker?"

"Yeah. If I couldn't get your head on straight, he certainly could."

"So, I guess I'll head to work. But first, the police station so this thing can be examined and maybe the stalker have left some clue to her identity."

"I'll drive." Butch said and Trent just raised a questioning eyebrow. "You guys are all crazy drivers and I don't know who is worse, Carlos or Kendra." Trent laughed as he clapped Butch on the shoulder and followed him out the door.

* * *

_Around the same time_

The stalker was sitting once again in the shadows in the special room designed for eternal love.

_Oh, he should have gotten my gift by now. I wish I could have seen his surprised and happy face when he opened it. I know that the gift that I sent to him didn't have a note from me, but he knows who sent it. We are connected and our bond is stronger than anything else is on this earth. Now, all I have to do is ensure that no stupid little tramps try and ruin our relationship. They would only do so because they are jealous of our eternal love. _

_I must get going. Our meeting will come very soon and I must make sure that all will be ready for that day. _

The stalker shut off the light and left the room in total darkness.

* * *

guardianM3: Kendra dreamed of beer that was the flavor of coffee, a horse drinking whiskey and two fighting leprechauns. She's a weird girl, isn't she? Please review. Reviews with helpful suggestions, ideas, etc help me to improve my writing and give me that happy feeling that activates the writing bug!


	9. Chapter 9: Setup and Making Up

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

guardianM3: Yikes! It has been almost two months since I last posted a chapter for this story! I'm sorry about that but I wanted to finish the rest of this volume. I wanted to ensure that there would be no more continuity errors and I hope that these last chapters will make up for the rather stale previous chapters. I hope you all enjoy the rest of this volume.

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Chapter 9: Setup and Making Up

_Wednesday, August 14 at 11:00 AM _

After Cassie had spoken with Alex at HOPE, she told Kendra that she was going to stay there for a while. Kendra agreed and told Cassie to call Uppercuts if she needed her. Kendra and Carlos were seated at a table across from one another in the Uppercuts bar just barely able to hear one another as patrons had flocked in for an early lunch.

"No, Kendra." Carlos said firmly as he shook his head.

"Why not? It's not as if you have a date to the reunion. Please, it's her reunion too and she should go. But it would be nice for her to have a kind and sweet guy to take her." Kendra said giving Carlos a sweet smile.

"I have plans to be with someone at the reunion." Carlos replied as he took a sip of his root beer, ignoring the burger and fries that Kendra had brought to the table for him.

"Oh really? Do you have plans to meet with your high school crush that is probably the CEO of some company and is too busy for anyone? Or is already married or seeing someone?" Kendra said, as her smile became a slight frown." Be realistic, Carlos. Besides Cassie is sweet and it would be nice of you do this for _her_."

"All right. All right! I'll take your friend to the reunion." Carlos said finally relenting to the woman who undoubtedly in Carlos' mind, would never have dropped the subject.

Kendra smiled triumphantly as she grabbed a fry and ate it. "Thank you, Carlos."

"Good afternoon, you two. I see that Kendra has convinced you about the date for the reunion." Hunter stated as he took the chair in between Carlos and Kendra.

Carlos mumbled a hello and began to eat his burger.

"Hey. So you could make it after all." Kendra commented as she took a drink from her glass of water.

"Yes. The trial went just as expected." Hunter replied as a waitress came to take their order and quickly left to bring Hunter his drink. "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"She said it was all right for me to go." Kendra didn't elaborate and Hunter decided to not press it.

Carlos was looking from Kendra to Hunter and wondering whom 'she' was and if 'she' was the one whom Kendra had forced…uh…_asked_ if he would take her to the reunion.

Kendra ignored Carlos' questioning look or maybe she hadn't noticed as she looked around the bar. "Where's Butch?"

Hunter and Carlos scanned the bar and didn't see him in his usual spot which was behind the bar or off chatting with customers.

"No idea. I don't think he was here when we came in, Kendra." Carlos said as he took a sip from his root beer.

"Have you seen Trent at all?" Kendra asked wondering if Butch had gone to speak with him.

"Nope. I know what you are thinking Kendra and your probably on the right track." Carlos nodded agreeing with Kendra's unspoken thought that Butch had gone to speak with Trent.

"Here they are now." Hunter said just as the waitress had come to the table with Kendra and Hunter's orders.

"Hey guys." Trent said as he took a seat and ordered water from the waitress.

"Good morning. I have to get to the bar. Trent will fill you in." Butch said as he turned away from the table and went to his position behind the bar.

Kendra's eyes narrowed as she looked at Trent and remained silent even though she really wanted to ask him a cargo ship hold amount of questions.

Trent quickly filled in the three friends of the gift that had been left by his stalker.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Carlos asked. Sometime during the tale, he had crossed his arms over his chest and had been scratching his chin showing that he had been deep in thought mixed with worry that he was attempting to hide from his friend.

Trent sighed and bit his bottom lip. "I don't know."

"At a time like this, Trent, the only thing you can do is be patient. Maybe the DPD will have something about it tomorrow and hopefully it will be good news." Hunter said reassuringly.

Trent nodded and then sighed. "Butch also made a good point earlier. What if the person who had almost run over Natalie and Stephanie was actually my stalker and had been after Natalie?"

"That's a good point, but you must not place any blame on yourself, Trent. I mean, I made sure Hunter didn't blame himself for me getting shot a few months ago." Kendra said.

"You tried." Hunter said softly.

"Well, it _is_ natural feel some guilt. The only person you should place any blame on is the one who is causing these terrible things to happen." Kendra said as she placed her hand on Trent's hand.

"That's good advice, Kendra." Trent said giving her a small smile.

"Yeah, but you never see her taking her own advice." Carlos said ignoring the look that Kendra had just shot him.

"Why don't you go speak to Natalie and let her know what's going on? She has a right to know." Hunter suggested.

"All right, that's a good idea. I'll be back later." Trent stood up and left.

"Well, I better get going too. I'll see you guys later." Carlos said a placed some money on the table and left.

"You all right, Kendra?" Hunter asked as he took her hand.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Kendra answered in a low voice.

Hunter squeezed her hand as they sat there in silence. Hunter was worried about Trent and he was concerned about what Kendra was going to do.

* * *

_12:10 PM_

"So, have you and Trent made up yet?" Kendra asked as she placed a chocolate latte with a paper bag containing a chicken salad sandwich, a bag of chips and a candy bar on Kim's desk.

Kim continued to type for a few minutes as Kendra drank her own latte her eyes just roaming around the room.

Kim stopped typing and looked up at Kendra who had decided to lean against the office manager's desk. "No, he hasn't been here."

Kendra nodded and looked at the door of inner office. "Carlos isn't here. He went to search for Mr. Bonkers."

Kendra almost spat out her coffee and turned her head to look at Kim. "New client?"

"Yes. The client in a little girl whose cat ran away." Kim replied as she grabbed the coffee that Kendra had brought for her and took a few sips being careful not to burn her tongue.

"Well, just in case you're wondering, 'he who has not been here' has gone to see Natalie. The guys suspect that the stalker may have been the one to try and run over Natalie and Stephanie. Also, he got another 'gift' from his stalker. It was a collage of photos of him taken over the past few weeks."

Kim didn't speak for several minutes as she processed what Kendra had just told her. Her mind was trying to make connections of what had occurred in the past week, but the connections were weak and didn't lead to Trent's stalker.

"Is it all right if I take a look at the case file?" Kendra asked.

"Uh, I guess." Kim said as she opened a drawer of her desk and pulled out the file. "Why do you want to look at it anyway?"

Kendra placed her fingers onto the file but did not extract it from Kim's hand. "Sometimes, another pair of eyes can be helpful."

"You are not going to try and go after Trent's stalker, are you?"

"Of course not, Kim." Kendra replied as Kim let go of the file.

Kendra sat down in one of the chairs and began to look through the file. She read through the file several times. When she was finished, she got up and walked over to Kim's desk.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing!" Kendra cried in frustration as she slapped the file onto the desk.

"I know and that frightens me." Kim replied in a quiet voice.

Kendra's eyes softened. "Don't worry. It'll all work out in the end."

Kim didn't reply. She was worried that Trent or someone close to him would get hurt. Kim didn't need to see the troubled look in her friend's eyes that her own words did not hinder the growing worry that had spread from their own hearts.

* * *

_1:20 PM_

Trent walked into the hotel and had the older gentlemen at the front desk page Natalie's room. When there was no answer, Trent started to look for her in the other areas of the hotel and then in the stores around the hotel.

Trent finally found Natalie in a little café only a block from the hotel eating a late lunch. The café's only occupants, besides Natalie, were a waiter and two other customers.

Trent walked up to her table, which was situated in the shade and asked if he could sit down. She nodded her head.

"Natalie, I'm sorry that I've been distant these past few days. I've had a lot on my mind because I have a stalker."

"You have a stalker? Why didn't you tell me? Is that why you practically ignored me this morning?" Natalie asked as she set her fork down onto her plate.

"I didn't want to worry you. The reason why I left so quickly this morning is because the stalker had sent me a strange package that I had to take to the police. It is the second one that I've received."

Natalie remained silent so Trent decided to continue. "I also believe that the stalker was the one driving the van that almost hit you and Stephanie."

"I see. This is why you have been acting so strange, lately." Natalie said as her eyes had become opaque, hiding her emotions and thoughts.

"Yes. I also had a fight with Kim." Trent replied with regret. Natalie grabbed his arm.

"Trent, you could have told me before now." Natalie shook her head and she frowned. She looked Trent in the eye. "You _should_ have told me. We've known each other for a long time so how could you even think of not telling me!"

Trent shook his head and sighed. "Again, I'm sorry, Natalie. I was distracted when you and Stephanie almost got hit by the van. By the first package from the stalker. Kendra getting shot at and my argument with Kim."

"That is understandable but I am still upset with you, Trent." Natalie said as she released his arm.

"I would like to make it up to you. Would you go to the reunion with me, as my date?"

Natalie's eyes softened and the frown became a smile. "Of course." Trent stood up and then bent down kissing her on the cheek. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Once Trent had left, Natalie remained unmoving for nearly ten minutes. The waiter came over and asked if she wanted some more tea, which she responded by a nod of her head.

Many different emotions were fighting one another within Natalie. The same was happening to thoughts and she was unsure which one would win.

* * *

_2:00 PM_

Trent entered the office where the shadows of angry words spoken lingered in the air and resonated in his mind. He walked up to Kim who was sitting behind her desk and set down a hot Cappuccino.

"Kim, I apologize for my behavior and what I said the other day." Trent said as he waited several minutes before Kim raised her head and looked directly into his eyes.

"Really?" Kim asked with sarcasm.

"Yes." Trent replied.

Kim sighed as she closed her eyes and rubbed her massaged her temples. Kim hands dropped down onto the desk. She pushed back her chair and walked around her desk to stand next to Trent. "I'm sorry too. I understand that you've been stressed lately and that you were worried about Natalie.

Kim hugged Trent just as Carlos came into the office. "Aw, how sweet. Uh. Kim, can you hand me the first aid kit please?"

"Carlos, what happened?" Kim asked as she grabbed Carlos' hands and studied the scratches that were all over his arms.

"Mr. Bonkers didn't want to come down from a tree. Why is it that cats always need to be rescued from a tree?"

Trent grabbed the fist aid kit that Kim kept behind her desk. He handed it to Kim who set it down on the desk and opened it.

Kim got Carlos to sit down in her chair. Kim didn't comment as she began to apply antiseptic to his wounds.

"I see that you two have made up." Carlos said as he winced when Kim dabbed at one of the scratches that was fairly deep to come from a cat.

"Yes. Why wouldn't we? Will you please hold still? You're acting as though I am using iodine on these scratches!" Kim said as she started to put band-aids onto the ones that were the worst.

"I _am_ holding still, Kim." Carlos replied.

Kim and Carlos started to bicker as Trent went to get a cup of coffee from the fresh made pot. He leaned against the wall as he watched Kim struggle with Carlos' inability to sit still. A smile came to Trent's lips as he raised the mug of coffee to take a drink.

* * *

guardianM3: Reviews are always welcome.


	10. Chapter 10: Devon

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 10: Devon

_Thursday, August 15 at_ _7:13AM_

A fist pounded on the door to Kendra's apartment. She awoke and sat up on the couch. She tossed the blanket off of her and stood up. As she headed to the door the pounding came again, but this time the visitor spoke.

"Open up! I'm taking Cassie back with me!" The man shouted as he continuously pounded on the door with two fists.

Kendra opened the door but did not remove the chain. The man tried to push the door open but the chain held.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Kendra asked in innocence as she studied the man before her. He had reddish brown hair and angry hazel eyes. His face contorted as his anger become more prominent.

"You know who I am! Now, where is she?" The man yelled as he tried to push open the door.

"I suggest you leave or I will call the police. If you place your foot even half an inch inside the doorway, I will consider it trespassing." Kendra said her voice low and threatening. Her knuckles had become bone white as she grasped the trim around the doorway trying to keep one of her hands from unlocking the door so she could send her fist into the man's face.

"I know she's here. Remove the chain. Now!" The man said as he raised his voice as he continued with his ranting. "I want her to come to me."

"Sorry, but as I said before, she isn't here. If you do not leave now, I will call the police. Maybe, I'll call the Texas Rangers instead of DPD." Kendra said firmly as her eyes blazed with fire.

"Fine, but this isn't over." He said threateningly as slammed his fist on the door and then left, stomping his feet down the stairs.

Kendra shut the door and used the bolt lock. She turned around and headed back into the living room.

"I'm sorry about Devon." Cassie said as she stepped into the living room from the hallway that leads to the bathroom and the bedroom.

"You don't have to apologize for him. He's a jerk." Kendra looked over at Cassie whose face had lost all color. "Cassie, you all right?"

"Yeah." Cassie replied quietly.

Kendra frowned as she walked across the floor and grabbed Cassie by the shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes. "You can not be afraid of him. He feeds off of your fear. He will only win, if you allow him to." Kendra released Cassie. "I'm sorry, Cassie. I didn't mean to hurt or scare you. But you must understand that your fear gives him power."

"I…I don't know what to do." Cassie replied as she sat down on the couch.

"Talk to Alex. She can help you." Kendra said as she headed to the kitchen and began to make a pot of coffee. "We'll have breakfast and then I'll take you to the center."

They ate in silence. Cassie was worried about what she had brought onto her friend. Kendra was concerned about what Devon would do.

* * *

_7:17 AM_

_That stupid witch! Who does she think she is trying to keep me from Cassie?_ He kicked a small stone that sent it flying across the street as he walked to his car.

Devon opened the door of his car and looked back at Kendra's apartment with a sneer.

_I had better keep an eye on them. That witch may have put Cassie up to something. _Devon got into his car but didn't turn the key. Instead, he watched the apartment from his rearview mirror.

He sat there for over an hour before Kendra and Cassie had left the apartment. He ducked as Kendra drove past. Once Kendra and Cassie were far enough ahead he started his car up and pulled out into the street. He followed them, being careful not to make it obvious that they were being followed.

He followed them to a house that had been converted into a community center and he knew that by the sign out front that read H.O.P.E. Center. He watched from half a block away as Cassie got out of the car and entered the building. Kendra drove away once Cassie had closed the door behind her.

Devon decided to stick around for a while as he leaned back in his seat and grabbed a bag of chips that was on the passenger seat.

* * *

9:03 AM

"Hey, Tony." Carlos said once he reached the detective's desk.

Tony looked up from his paperwork. "Hey, Carlos." He set his pen down and closed the folder. He stood up and held out his hand to the man who stood beside Carlos.

"Good morning, Detective Ortiz." Trent said as he shook the detective's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Trent. Please, just call me Tony since you're a friend of Carlos'."

"No problem." Trent said.

"So, what news do you have?" Carlos asked as he leaned against Tony's desk.

"The van that almost hit your friend was found off of the highway in a patch of woods. They are still looking at it for any fibers or fingerprints. We are also trying to figure out who owns the van but it is proving to be difficult because a part of the license plate is missing."

"We did find a fingerprint on the…second object that you had received from the stalker." Tony said as he stuck his pen onto his ear and picked the file from a large pile of case folders on his desk. "Ah, here it is. Unfortunately, the fingerprint wasn't on file, so we couldn't find out your stalker's identity."

"Great." Carlos mumbled sarcastically.

"So, you think this stalker tried to harm a couple of your friends?" Tony asked.

"Yeah." Trent replied.

Tony gave a low whistle. "Hey, look. Stalkers tend to be a little crazy and you have no idea what they are thinking or what they are going to do next. I hope you are taking every precaution that you can."

"Thanks, Tony." Carlos said as clapped his friend on the shoulder. Trent thanked the detective and the two private detectives left DPD.

"Now all we have to do is find the owner of that fingerprint." Carlos said as he got into Trent's car.

"Right." Trent said as he got into the car, buckled up and started the car. He left the parking lot and drove heading back to Thunder Investigations.

* * *

_11:45 AM_

Kim and Carlos had decided to go to a restaurant for an early lunch about an hour before. Before they had left, they had asked Trent if he wanted to go, but he declined. They promised to bring him something from the restaurant.

Natalie arrived at Thunder Investigations and found Trent in the outer office retrieving a file from Kim's desk.

"Hi, Trent, I think we need to talk."

"Of course, Natalie. We can talk in my office." He said as Natalie followed him to the door. He held the door open as he motioned for her to enter the office first. She remained standing after he shut the door. "Ok. What do you want to talk about?" Trent asked after he set the file on his desk and stood facing Natalie.

"I wanted to apologize for I how acted and what I said to you. I know you had your reasons for not telling me about the stalker right off." Natalie said as she placed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"It's all right, Natalie. Your reaction was pretty much what I had expected. I'm just sorry that you had to be brought into this situation."

Natalie bit her lip as she looked at Trent. "I've been thinking about a lot of things, Trent. Like the van that almost hit Stephanie and me might not have had anything to do with your stalker. Working in real estate, you can make some enemies. Or even Stephanie may have some enemies as well."

Trent nodded his head. "It is possible, but I really don't think it was a coincidence. Just as I believe Kendra and Hunter getting shot at is somehow connected to my stalker."

"Really? But that doesn't necessarily mean that what happened is connected to your stalker. Don't they have any enemies?"

"Yeah, they have each made a few but it just feels as though there is a connection. You are not the only one who has been trying to figure out the causes of these instances and wondering whether they deal with my stalker. Now, that I am focused, I realize the stalker may be after you and Kendra because you guys may be seen as a threat by the stalker." Trent said as he hung his head slightly with guilt. "I believe it is better for you if we don't see each other for a while. We shouldn't even go together to the reunion. Not until this crazy stalker has been caught." He said but Natalie could hear a hint of reluctance in his voice.

"Trent Malloy! How dare you try and retract the invitation."

"Natalie, I…" Trent began as he stepped closer to her.

"NO!" Natalie said as she removed her hands from the pockets of her and poked Trent in the chest several times as she continued. "You would be allowing this stalker to win and as someone who cares for you will not let that happen." Natalie then shot out her hands and gently grabbed his face forcing him to look into her eyes. "You are acting completely ridiculous. I care about you, Trent and I know you feel the same way. Do you really want to let this stalker ruin your life?"

"You're right, Natalie. I'm sorry." Trent said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "This stalker has been affecting everything and everyone in my life.

Natalie's expression softened as she hugged Trent and then gave him a kiss. "I know that you have been acting differently and that the cause is that you are worried about what this stalker is going to do. Not to you, but to your friends."

Before Trent could speak, she put her finger onto his lips. "I wasn't finished. I want you to know that I am here for you but I won't allow you to make any idiotic decisions because of this stalker."

Carlos entered the office as just as Natalie was about to leave. "Hey, Natalie."

"Hey, Carlos. I'll see you later, Trent." Natalie said as she gave him quick kiss and then turned to leave the office.

Once the door was closed, Carlos headed over to the coffee pot. "So, did you two have a nice chat?"

"Yes. I almost decided not to go to the reunion." Trent said.

"You tried to break of your date with Natalie because of your stalker?" Carlos asked as he poured some cream into his coffee.

"Yes." Trent shot Carlos a look. "I was trying to keep her safe."

Carlos returned the creamer to the little fridge and stirred his coffee with a spoon. "I can see that, Trent. But women tend to take some things the wrong way."

"It's a good thing you didn't say that in front of Kendra or Kim."

Carlos grinned but then his face became serious. "Look, you care about Natalie and you are worried about what this stalker may do. But you can't allow this stalker to interfere with your life."

"That is what Natalie said." Tent replied as he headed over to the coffee pot.

"She is one smart woman." Carlos said as he leaned against his desk.

Trent smiled. "I know." He poured himself a cup of coffee not bothering to put in any cream or sugar and headed back to work.

* * *

guardianM3: I know, I know. Not much action, but this story is only under mystery/general. Don't forget to hit the button below.


	11. Chapter 11: Discussions

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 11: Discussions

_ Thursday, August 15 at_ 1_2:15 PM_

Kendra and Hunter entered the restaurant were seated by the hostess within five minutes. After they had perused the menu and the waiter had taken their orders, Hunter noticed that Kendra was unusually quiet.

"What is bothering you, Kendra?" Hunter asked.

"Trent's stalker is what is bothering me, Hunter." Kendra sighed and bit her lip as the image of the note and the roses came into her mind. "That first gift that he had received had five roses. Strange number, isn't it? There must be significance to that number, but I just don't know what yet."

"The number of roses may be significant only to the stalker. You could spend hours or days trying to figure it out, but it may be some creation in the stalker's mind." Hunter pointed out.

Kendra looked defeated. "You're right. It's just so frustrating that I can't help him." Kendra said as she slammed her fist on the table loud enough that a few of the other customers had looked at there table,

Hunter didn't even seem to notice the looks that had been shot in their direction as he continued. "You are helping him, by taking a look into his case and being there for him"

"You don't seem happy about it." Kendra said as she saw something flicker in those emerald eyes.

"Placing yourself in danger doesn't make me happy." Hunter said but there was something else lingering in the deeper part of his mind, but he didn't know what it was but he chose to ignore it.

"Hunter, I don't consider reading a disturbing note and trying to find a clue as to who the stalker could be is anyway connecting me with danger. Besides, Hunter, you know I can take care of myself." Kendra said in a low voice but with some of her fire.

"I know that, Kendra. I just don't want to see you get hurt." Hunter said in a reassuring tone as he raised his hands in a truce and then he lowered them onto the table and clasped his hands together. "I also believe that there is more to this than you are unable to find a useful clue."

"What do you mean?" Kendra asked.

"Trent and Carlos had been kidnapped and beaten barely two months ago. You still feel responsible that you could have done something to prevent it from happening. Just like now, with Trent's stalker."

"Thanks, Doc." Kendra said sarcastically. Her face returned to being serious. "I know. I know. You're right. I don't like seeing my friends getting hurt."

"I understand what you are going through. Everyone has gone through it. I've gone through it with you." Hunter said as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

Kendra looked directly into his green eyes and spoke firmly. "We have been over that, Hunter."

"I know we have but it doesn't mean that I don't still feel guilty about it. I worry that something may happen to you." Hunter squeezed Kendra's hand.

"That goes both ways Hunter. You prosecute some of Dallas' worst criminals. Do you believe that I worry about you too? I would never ask you to quit your job just as I know you will not ask me not to help the people I care about, even if I place myself at risk." Kendra said as she bit her lip and her eyes focused on a map of China behind Hunter's head.

Hunter leaned forward and their eyes met. "That is one of things I love about you."

Kendra's eyes widened. "That I will help and protect my friends?"

"Yeah, there are those qualities but I was thinking about the fact that you are most stubborn person I have ever met." Hunter said with a grin as his green eyes became bright.

Kendra smiled. "Thanks. You're pretty stubborn yourself." She replied as the waiter had returned with their food.

Kendra took a moment to breath in the aroma of her food.

Hunter began to cut some of his chicken into smaller pieces. "You know, it is very odd that we are eating here instead of Uppercuts."

Kendra sighed as she looked at the colorful decorations that had been placed around the restaurant. There was soft music was playing in the background and she could hear the clatter of pans from the kitchen. "I love the atmosphere there, but we can't live on beer and fries."

"You do spend a lot of time there." Hunter said teasingly.

"Yes, I know. I really need to get out more." Kendra replied as she cut up her spring roll.

"That is why I am here." Hunter replied as he winked.

"Really? I thought I was the one helping you to get out more." Kendra replied with a wink of her own.

The playful banter continued all throughout dinner but thoughts and emotions still lingered on both of their minds about what they had talked about earlier.

* * *

_8:20 PM_

Natalie hadn't gone back to the hotel or had gone to her childhood home. Instead, she had walked around Dallas and had gone window-shopping trying to clear her mind. She hadn't noticed the dark clouds that had started to gather or that it was quite possible that she could be drenched in an instant. Her thoughts had taken over and her body seemed to move of its own accord being able to avoid fellow pedestrians or post office boxes.

"Hey, Natalie." A younger woman with dirty blonde hair but with the same green eyes said as she struggled with several shopping bags.

"Oh, hello, Jessica, what are you doing here?" Natalie asked coming out of her daze.

"We are still on for dinner, aren't we?" Jessica asked as she shifted a couple of the shopping bags.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry that I forgot about our dinner date." Natalie said. "Here, let me take a couple of those for you. How much did you buy?"

"It is just a few things for Mom and Dad's anniversary." Jessica said as she grabbed her keys to unlock the trunk.

"Just a few things." Natalie repeated with a slight sarcastic tone as she helped her sister open the trunk of the car and place the bags carefully inside.

"Yes." Jessica replied as she closed the trunk.

"Do you want to eat at Uppercuts?" Natalie suggested as they got into Jessica's car.

"Sure. I've heard of it, but I've never been inside." Jessica started up the car and began to drive. "So, have you gotten anything for mom and dad's anniversary?"

"No, not yet. I haven't' quite figured out what I want to give them. I was thinking about sending them on a cruise or something like that." Natalie replied.

"That's a great idea! Mom and dad need a vacation."

The two sisters continued to discuss the idea about sending their parents on a vacation as they headed to Uppercuts.

* * *

_ 8:35 PM _

They entered Uppercuts and found were able to find a table on the other side of the room. A bouncy and polite waitress came over quickly, gave them menus and asked for the drink orders. Once the waitress had left, two familiar faces came to the table.

"Hi, Natalie. Hi Jessica." Trent said as he gave Jessica a welcoming smile.

"Hi, Trent." Jessica said softly as her cheeks became tinted with pink.

"This is Carlos. I'm not sure if you would remember him." Trent said as Jessica and Carlos greeted each other. Jessica replied that she vaguely remembered him. "How have you two been doing?"

"Fine, thank you. Why don't you join us?" Jessica asked as her cheeks became even redder.

"I'm not sure if we should. I think we are interrupting a sisterly dinner." Trent said.

"Oh, no. Please join us Trent. Carlos, you are welcome also." Jessica said as she gave Carlos a smile.

Trent looked at Natalie whose face had become unreadable. Her eyes shone with distant thoughts that had left Uppercuts and maybe even the state, but when she focused back to her sister and the two PI's she motioned for Trent and Carlos to sit down.

They all told stories about their times in high school. Some slightly embarrassing, others funny and even a few that clearly had a message within it. After Natalie had told a couple of stories she had quieted a bit and was studying each person in turn as a story that Trent was telling about a prank that he and Carlos had tried to pull. Natalie noticed that Jessica seemed carefully focused, not only on Trent's story but also on Trent himself.

Kendra was working that night and had only said a quick hello as she had dashed past their table, serving her own tables. Otherwise, the four of them were left alone telling stories from their past.

The stories began to run out and after they had all finished their food, Jessica and Natalie each said their good nights and left the bar.

* * *

_11:10 PM_

Jessica and Natalie hopped into Jessica's car. Jessica had driven her mustang several blocks in silence.

"Trent has changed quite a bit, hasn't he?" Jessica asked not looking at her sister because she knew what expression she must have on her face.

"Yes, Jessica." Natalie replied sourly. "He isn't the rebel that he was when he was in high school."

Jessica's eyebrows rose slightly at her sister's tone. "Did he ask you out?"

"Yes, to the reunion. Then he tried to take it back." She paused as she watched Thunder Karate as the car passed by. "I wouldn't let him do that."

"Why would Trent do that?" Jessica asked as she turned slightly to look at her sister.

"Leave it alone, Jessica. It isn't any of your business!" Natalie said hotly as she slammed her hand onto the armrest of the seat.

Jessica's eyes widened and she looked a little hurt but she waited a few moments for Natalie to calm down.

Natalie placed her hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I've just been a little stressed with everything that has been going on." Her voice had lost its hostility and had become almost like the little girl she had been so many years ago.

"I understand, Natalie. I forgive you so don't worry about it." Jessica said calmly as she looked at her sister without turning her head. Worry glinted in her own eyes as she studied her sister's face.

* * *

_Late that night_

The stalker entered the secret room and paced in total darkness for half an hour. The stalker, having finally calmed down, sat in the chair and turned on the light. Eyes scanned the photographs on the desk. Each photo had only Trent in the pictures for if anyone else had been captured by the camera lens they had been swiftly removed using a pair of rather sharp scissors.

A fist slammed onto the table toppling over a pencil holder and scattering a pile of photos. _Those tramps have been ruining everything! They have gotten to him._

The stalker's eyes roved through the scattered pictures knowing who had been removed from each one. _I must find a way to get rid of those tramps. I must get them away from him. But how?_

The stalker began to formulate a plan. The stalker began to gather all of the cutouts of the tramps, which a majority of them was in a trash bin. The stalker grabbed an exacto knife and went to work.

The task was completed within an hour and the stalker was pleased. A smile flashed in the darkness.

"I do hope they enjoy their gifts." The stalker said viscously as the light was turned off and the stalker became a part of the shadows.

* * *

guardianM3: Don't forget at the bottom of the screen to click the 'Go' button that has the title of 'Submit Review'. Reviews are always appreciated and can be helpful.


	12. Chapter 12: Three Girls, Three Gifts

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 12: Three Girls, Three Gifts

_Friday, August 16 at 6:15 AM _

Kendra opened the door and saw that someone had placed a package next to the newspaper. Her eyes swept over the package and she noticed that it didn't have a reply address. She picked up both of the objects that were on her doorstep and walked into the kitchen with a curious yet weary look on her face.

Cassie was standing near the fridge holding onto a carton of orange juice when she spotted Kendra with the package. "What is that?" Cassie asked as she poured some orange juice into a glass.

"I'm not sure." Kendra said as she set the newspaper and the package onto the table. She grabbed a steak knife from the cutlery drawer and sliced through the packaging tape. Her eyes narrowed and a frown came onto her face as she studied what lay inside the package.

"What is it, Kendra?" Cassie asked as she came over to the table and looked into the open package. Cassie gasped and set the glass down onto the table so it wouldn't slip from her hands.

"Who sent that?" Cassie asked as she looked away from the package and decided to look at her friend instead.

"I have no idea." Kendra said not taking her eyes off of the contents of the package.

* * *

_6:20 AM_

Natalie awoke to the alarm blaring and shut it off quickly. She sat up and rubbed her neck to get rid of the kinks that had come from not sleeping properly. She threw of the covers, turned on the TV to the local news and upped the volume loud enough so she could hear the anchor and co-anchor, as she got dressed.

She shook her head in disgust as the local news began to talk about some celebrity that was having some trouble with the law. She quickly applied a dash of lipstick and slid her feet into a pair of high heels. She shut of the television and headed to the door. Before she stepped out of the room, she noticed a brown package at her door. Natalie frowned when she didn't see a return address.

Natalie bent down and picked it up. The package was light and her curiosity had risen. She brought the package into the room, not even bothering to shut the door. She set it on the bed and grabbed a pair of scissors to cut the tape.

She opened the flaps and her hands froze as she stared at what was in the box. Her eyes widened and the scissors dropped from her hand onto the floor. She turned and ran out the door to a door only three down from her own. She pounded loudly on the door and was about to shout as the door opened to reveal an already dressed Trent who had concern etched onto the fine features of his face.

"Trent, I need to show you something." Natalie said her voice cracking and her eyes focusing intently onto Trent's blue shirt trying not to panic or pass out.

Trent nodded and took her arm. He lead her back to the room and Natalie pointed to the opened package on the bed.

* * *

_ 6:30 AM _

Kim had decided that it was pointless to go back to sleep after her neighbor's dog had woke her up a half hour before her alarm was set to go off. As she had headed to the kitchen, she had turned on her computer that was situated in between the invisible line between the living area and the kitchen. Kim yawned as she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured some orange juice into it.

She brought her glass to her computer and sat down in the comfortable computer chair. She checked the weather and the news of the day as she took sips from her glass of orange juice.

After she had read the news, she got up, headed to the kitchen, and looked into the fridge, deciding whether she wanted to eat some strawberries with her cereal or make blueberry pancakes. She decided on the first plan and grabbed the strawberries.

After eating and finishing off her orange juice, she brushed her teeth, showered and got dressed. She grabbed her keys from the little table near the door and opened the door. She looked down and saw a brown package sitting on her welcome mat. When she bent down to pick it up, she noticed that there was no return address. She retracted her hand as shivers begun to shoot through her. She backed away from the door and headed to the phone.

* * *

_ 7:15 AM _

Someone watched from a car parked a half a block from Kendra's apartment as Kendra and Cassie exited and headed down the stairs to Kendra's car. In Kendra's hands was a small garbage bag that she placed in the backseat before she got into the driver's seat.

Kendra started her car and pulled out into the street. A moment later, once Kendra had gone down the street a block the driver of an old Honda Accord started up the engine and headed in the same direction that they had gone.

The driver of the Honda had followed the two women quite easily since Kendra had taken streets that barely had any other drivers on them. The drive had taken only about ten minutes before the two women had reached their destination and had turned parked in a parking lot before a brick building. The Honda driver decided that today was not the day and drove past as Kendra and Cassie headed into the police station.

* * *

_8:00 AM_

Kim, Kendra, and Natalie were waiting in an office at the police station. Kim and Natalie were sitting in a pair of old beaten up leather chairs before the desk while Kendra stood leaning against an old filing cabinet. One minute it felt to them that they had been there only a few minutes but the next, it seemed they had been waiting in the office for hours. None of them paid any attention to sounds of phones ringing, chairs scraping against a tile floor, shouts and many other assortment of noises associated with a police station. Their thoughts shared one thing; the packages they had all received that morning.

Cassie came in through the open door with four steaming cups of coffee and set them down onto the desk. Cassie handed Kendra a cup of coffee. Cassie stood across from Kendra and remained silent.

A man with gray hair and many lines on his fifty-three year old face from years of working as a beat cop and working his way dutifully up the ladder walked into the office with Trent and Carlos right behind him.

"Good morning, ladies." He said as he sat down behind the desk as Trent closed the door once Carlos walked in. "I am Captain Hank Lewis." Carlos quickly introduced the women to the Captain. His blue eyes with a dusting of gray roamed around the room as he took in everyone in his office.

"How long will it be before we receive any information?" Kendra asked as she looked at the Captain.

"We have put a rush on everything, Miss Stone. Mr. Malloy and Mr. Sandoval filled me in on the stalker. I suggest you all take the proper precautions. Don't go anywhere alone and don't stay home alone."

"I'm more concerned about Trent than myself, Captain. Perhaps you should be giving him these tips." Kendra said as her eyes swept from the Captain to Trent.

"Kendra…" Trent began but was quickly interrupted by her.

"I don't blame you, Trent but I don't want you to get hotheaded and do something stupid. I know that you are probably thinking the same about me. This stalker of yours is only doing this to distract you and frighten us." Kendra stopped leaning on the file cabinet as pride and stubbornness shot through her, straightening her posture. "I won't allow this stalker to intimidate me or anyone else."

Captain Lewis looked from Kendra to Trent. Trent nodded, agreeing with what Kendra had said. Captain Lewis cleared his throat as he looked at everyone in the room.

"We are doing all we can and I am glad that you are not allowing this stalker to scare you, but remember what I said earlier. Be careful." Captain Lewis nodded his head dismissively and the group left the Captain's office.

Carlos shut the Captain's door and went with the rest of them out into the parking lot. "We should head to the office." Carlos suggested as everyone nodded and headed to the cars they had arrived with to the police station.

* * *

guardianM3: Don't forget to let me know what you all think.


	13. Chapter 13: The Van

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 13: The Van

_Friday, August 16 at 1:00 PM_

Kim was at her desk attempting to get her work done, while Kendra and Natalie had settled down onto two chairs across the room from Kim's desk. Natalie was reading a magazine while Kendra was holding a book of Sudoku puzzles but in reality was actually working on the puzzle of Trent's stalker.

On the way over to Thunder Investigations Kendra had dropped Cassie off at HOPE and had apologized to her friend for having to be on the sidelines of the situation. Cassie had told Kendra that she didn't mind helping since Kendra had been helping her.

Kendra had also, rather reluctantly, called Hunter just as they had arrived at Thunder Investigations and had let him know about the packages that she, Kim and Natalie had received. He had wanted to leave work and go to her but Kendra had convinced him that he had a case to work on. Kendra had promised him that she wouldn't leave Thunder Investigations or Uppercuts.

Carlos and Trent were sitting in their office with the door open each working silently on the case. Carlos was writing notes on a legal pad while Trent was using a program that allows him to make a web that shows connections.

The phone on Carlos' desk rang and he answered. He remained silent as he listened to the person on the other hand. He told the person that "they" would be there soon. He returned the phone to its resting place and stood up. "Hey that was Tony." Carlos said as he pulled his coat off of the back of his chair.

Trent turned and looked at Carlos. "Yeah?" He asked, with an unusually impatient tone as he stood up and headed toward the door.

"They have the guy who tried to hit Natalie. They are going to interrogate him now.

"Let's go." Trent said as he left the office. Once he stepped into the outer office, he quickly told the three women that they might have a lead on something and that they should wait in Uppercuts with Butch.

Trent and Carlos were surprised that none of them protested as they stood up and followed the boys out the door. The three women headed into the bar while Carlos and Trent headed to Carlos' Durango.

* * *

_ 1:30 PM _

A man with a baldhead and a tattoo of scantily clad mermaid sat across the table from Tony and his partner, Detective Buck. The interrogation room had the typical table, four chairs, the two-way mirror and the camera with the red light blinking up high in the corner of the room.

After Tony and Detective Buck had set up the tape recorder and had said the date, time, who they were, the suspect's name, etc. They started the interrogation. It wasn't too long before Guy Pensworth was spilling his guts. "I was hired to scare the blonde haired woman. That's it. Nothing else."

"You don't even know the name of the person who hired you?" Detective Buck asked.

Guy leaned back in his chair and swatted the question away. "Nah man. Got sent a note with 2 C's and it said once I did the job that I would get eight more."

Tony leaned forward and stared directly into Guy's eyes. "So you took this so-called job and you didn't even know who sent the note and who hired you?"

"Hey, look. I needed the money and all I was doing was scaring some girl. It was probably her old man or something. The where and the when was written on the note. Of course, I didn't think that other chick would be there." Guy replied.

Tony backed off and spoke again in a calmer tone. "All right. Do you still have the note?"

"Nah threw it away." Guy replied his voice a little less nervous.

"All right. We'll be back." Tony said as he stood up and Buck followed suit. They stepped outside the interrogation room where they met with Trent and Carlos.

"So?" Carlos asked impatiently.

Tony shook his head. "He got paid in cash. Threw out the note and instructions he had received. He didn't know who sent it or why."

Carlos held back the urge to slam his fist into the wall. "That's it?"

Tony nodded his head and clapped Carlos on the shoulder. "At least we have this guy. Maybe the scumbag will remember something."

"Thanks. Please let us know when and if you get any fingerprints off of those packages." Trent said as he shook Buck's hand.

"No problem." Buck said.

Trent and Carlos left the police station and headed back to Uppercuts to tell their friends that even though they got the guy who tried to scare Natalie with a car, the stalker's identity was no closer to being revealed.

* * *

_3:00 PM_

Trent and Carlos headed into the bar and stopped to speak with Butch. Trent relayed what they had found out and Butch told them to handle it carefully.

"I'm not going to do or say anything stupid, Butch." Trent replied.

"Good, because I don't think that any of those three ladies would let you get away with either." Butch said he looked pointedly in the girls' direction.

Natalie, Kendra and Kim sat at a table that was closest to the bar each with a strong cup of coffee sitting untouched before them. Trent and Carlos headed to the table.

They had been in the bar since Trent and Carlos had headed to the police station. Butch had become their bodyguard and had sat with them for an hour and a half, telling them stories about his boxing days.

Kendra's eyes were burning with fury while Kim's was a little wide with shock and Natalie's was blank as her eyes stared off into the distance.

Kendra raised her eyes and looked at Trent. "What did you find out?"

"Someone hired a man named Guy Pensworth to scare Natalie by pretending that he wanted to run her over. He said that Stephanie wasn't in the plan. Apparently whoever hired him left a note and knew exactly when and where he should scare her."

"Your stalker." Natalie said in a quiet voice as she turned her head and brought her eyes directly in line with Trent's blue eyes.

Trent nodded. "It seems that way. A note was written with instructions with cash and after the job was done, more cash was sent to the man."

"We have that mystery solved, but your stalker sent us three so-called gifts trying to frighten us. We can't be intimated by this deranged stalker." Kendra said fiercely as she clutched a napkin in her right hand, her nails digging into her palm.

"Yeah, Kendra's right. And you, Trent can't feel guilty about any of this. It is this stalker that is causing this and has nothing to do with you." Kim said as she placed her hand on Trent's arm.

"Thanks, Kim." Trent replied as he gave her a smile.

* * *

_6:00 PM_

Hunter and Cassie had arrived at the bar, Hunter having picked up Cassie on the way. Cassie and Hunter each took a seat at the table where Kendra sat alone taking her fifteen-minute break. Hunter took a seat next to Kendra. She filled them in with the news that Trent and Carlos had brought earlier before they had returned to their office with Natalie and Kim.

"Walker and Trivette have no leads on whom shot at us in the diner but it seems that it may be Trent's stalker." Hunter said as his green eyes stared into Kendra's blue fiery ones.

"We can't allow this to ruin our time at the reunion." Cassie said more firmly and determined than Kendra had ever heard come from her friend before.

"Of course not. So, have you and Carlos discussed anything about the reunion?" Kendra asked.

Cassie shook her head. "No, but I'm glad that he's taking me even though you pushed him into it."

Kendra's eyebrows rose as a mock look of innocence came onto her face. "What? Me? No!"

"Is it still a good idea to go to this reunion? Since Trent's stalker has threatened you, Kim and Natalie." Hunter said looking at Kendra with concern.

"True but as I said before, we can't let this stalker win so, we are still going to the reunion." Kendra said firmly and then she gave Hunter a kiss. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Hunter smiled and then his face became serious. "You say that but you know…" Hunter began as Kendra's eyes narrowed.

Hunter laughed. "I'm kidding. I know that you will be careful. Or at least try to be and hopefully not do anything rash."

"The same goes for you, Mr. Prescott." Kendra remarked.

"Uh, there is one problem. With everything that has been happening, I don't have anything nice to wear to the reunion." Cassie said.

"Don't worry, my aunt owns a dress shop, we can go right now. She's open until eight." Hunter suggested as he rose. "I'll take you, since Kendra has to get back to work, anyway."

Kendra agreed and headed back to work while Hunter took Cassie to the dress shop.

Hunter and Cassie didn't notice the figure ducking in the driver's seat of an old beat up Honda. Hunter opened the car door for Cassie and made sure she was in before he shut the door. He ran around and opened the driver's side door. He sensed someone was watching as he carefully turned his head to look around. None of the pedestrians seemed to be paying any attention to them. Hunter shrugged off the feeling and got into the car.

He started the car and pulled out into the street. The Honda waited a few moments before following Hunter and Cassie.

* * *

guardianM3: I hope that these last few chapters haven't been boring you all and I hope you all will continue to read this story.


	14. Chapter 14: The Reunion

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

Chapter 14: The Reunion

_Saturday, August 17 at_ _7:30 AM_

Carlos had whipped up a breakfast of omelets, hash browns and a large bowl of fruit. He had already set the table as Kim, Trent, Hunter and Kendra had entered the bar. Butch was ready with the coffee and began filling each cup.

Carlos set the serving platters on the table and sat down. Once Trent had said grace, they began to eat. Trent, Carlos and Hunter chatted about the reunion while Kim, filled Kendra and Butch in on the case of Mr. Bonkers.

"I was wondering why you were all scratched up, Carlos." Kendra said with shining blue eyes.

"No joke this time, Kendra? Nothing about a date gone wrong? Are you feeling ok, this morning?" Carlos asked as he reached across the table to feel her forehead for a fever but pulled back halfway across.

"Ha! I didn't need to joke about it because the real story is better." Kendra shot back.

"I agree with Kendra." Kim said with a firm nod as she began to cut into her second omelet.

Kendra looked at Carlos with one raised eyebrow. "No retort, Carlos?"

"Nah." Carlos said as he waved his fork in the air. "There is always next time."

"I've been thinking about the stalker." Hunter said as he interrupted Carlos and Kendra's bantering. They all turned to look at Hunter.

"You know how Trent got five roses from the stalker and the note said something about coming together. That was on Monday and it has been five days since then." Hunter said in a low voice. He looked around the table at everyone and saw that they all understood what he was saying.

"The reunion! Why didn't we think of it before? The stalker is going to be at the reunion!" Carlos said as he pounded his fist hard on the table causing the plates to clatter and a couple cups of coffee to spill a few drops.

"It may have been someone from high school who received the invitation. The photos of me that the stalker had sent some had been taken weeks ago." Trent said as his food and coffee became forgotten as his mind thought about all of the clues. He still had no idea who is stalker was and was wondering if she would reveal herself at the reunion.

Butch was thinking along the same lines as Trent. "You all are going to have to keep on your toes. Who knows what this stalker is going to do at the reunion?" Butch cautioned.

"You're right. Excellent catch their Hunter!" Carlos said.

"Yeah, sure. If Kendra hadn't told me everything about the note and the roses…Plus it is the day of the reunion, so I think that kind of helped." Hunter replied.

"So, we all have to keep an eye on each other at the reunion and see if anyone acts or looks oddly at Trent." Kim said as everyone looked at her. "Don't think I'm not going. I want this stalker caught before anything bad happens."

"I agree with Kim. I'm going as well." Butch said giving his friends a stern look so they wouldn't protest.

"Yeah, but you guys aren't on the list so they probably won't let you in." Carlos pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true. But don't we know the coordinator of this reunion?" Hunter asked with a grin.

"Carlos is going to talk with her." Trent said as grabbed his cup of coffee.

"I'm going to go talk with her?" Carlos asked.

"Thanks buddy. We all appreciate it." Trent said as he clapped his friend on the back.

"Right." Carlos said grumpily as he stabbed a piece of omelet with his fork and ate it.

* * *

_7:00 PM_

Carlos had been able to convince Stephanie to allow Kim and Butch to attend the reunion. When asked how he was able to, he wouldn't answer. All of them had arrived together in Carlos' Dodge Durango and Kendra's Dodge Stratus.

After signing their names into the signature book, they walked into the gymnasium that was decorated with the school colors of silver and blue. A large banner with '10th Anniversary' written on it was strewn across the stage of a live band. There was already about fifty people standing around talking and reminiscing about the good old days.

Hunter had introduced Kendra to some of his friends while Trent and Carlos took their dates to the area that was labeled "Memories." The area had several yearbooks, so a number of people could look through them at the same time, information on where and what everyone was currently and lots of photos of events and functions of their class all throughout high school.

It had been about two hours since they had arrived at the reunion. They all had danced with one other and had decided to take a break. Natalie had gone to chat with some of her old high school friends, telling Trent that she would be perfectly safe. He reluctantly let her go and stand with her circle of friends.

"Carlos, Cassie and I want to use the ladies room." Kendra said loudly enough so that she could be heard over the music of the band.

"Are you asking me for permission?" Carlos asked and Kendra shot him a look. "I'm kidding, no problem."

Carlos, Kendra and Cassie began to walk through the large crowd of people, heading toward the doors where they had entered.

As she dodged around people, Kendra saw someone and the person's strange behavior seemed out of place. Kendra couldn't help but decide to follow because her gut was telling her that something wasn't right. "Tell Carlos I'll be there in a minute." Kendra whispered in Cassie's ear and before her friend could protest, she had disappeared into the crowd.

Once Carlos and Cassie had reached the bathroom, she relayed the message to him. Carlos frowned but remained standing outside the bathroom as Cassie went in.

It had only been about thirty seconds before Stephanie came running up to Carlos. "Carlos, I need your help with something. She grabbed his arm and began to pull him away from the bathroom.

"Stephanie, I can't right now…" Carlos began but Stephanie didn't listen as she dragged him away.

"Yes, you can, it will only take a minute." Stephanie replied as she refused to release her grip on Carlos' upper arm. Carlos sighed and figured that Kendra would be there but he knew he didn't have a choice.

Cassie left the bathroom and was about to call out Carlos' name when a hand covered her mouth and roughly grabbed her arm. Her assailant dragged her away from the bathroom and away from the gymnasium, heading deeper into the darker and empty part of the high school.

* * *

_9:15 PM_

Hunter looked around as he carefully held two cups of punch in his hands were forgotten. "Where is everyone? I haven't seen Kendra, Carlos, Cassie or Natalie for awhile now." Hunter said with a worried frown.

"I don't know. I think I saw Kendra heading out that door." Kim said as she pointed to a door opposite of the one that they had entered and that lead into a hallway.

"Butch, please stay with Kim." Trent said as he took off toward those doors with Hunter following right behind him after he handed Kim the cups.

"Either she figured out who your stalker is and took after her, or Devon showed up."

"Cassie's ex?" Trent asked as Hunter replied with a nod and not even noticing as a woman winked at him as he passed by her.

"You know that Kendra is more stubborn than a rusty hinge as you try and open the door." Hunter commented as carefully avoided bumping into anyone.

"Yes, but there are ways to get that door open! Let's hurry; we have to find her and Cassie." Trent replied as he pushed the door open.

"Why does it seem as though the women in our lives tend to disappear or are very stubborn?" Hunter asked.

"We are just lucky, I guess." Trent commented as he took off down the hallway.

"They would have to far away enough so no one in the gym could hear or bother them." Hunter said as he jogged alongside Trent looking at the doorways to his right, while Trent looked on the left.

"Yeah. So, most likely they are on the other side of the school." Trent said as he began to run. Hunter matched his pace easily.

They both began to pray silently that the people they loved would be all right.

* * *

_ 9:20 PM _

Devon had dragged Cassie into the empty cafeteria. He let go of her wrist as she spun away from him. "Devon! Let me go! It's over!" Cassie said firmly with a hint of a tremor in her voice that she hoped Devon hadn't noticed.

"Oh honey, you know I can't do that. You have to give me a chance to explain. But in the time that you stayed with Kendra and gone out with another man, I've become really pissed off!" Devon bellowed as he took a step closer to Cassie.

"If I can't have you," Devon began as he pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Cassie, "No one can!"

The gun was knocked out of Devon's hand and it slid across the tiled floor landing underneath a stack of chairs. A fist hit him squarely in the chin as a foot shot out and kicked his leg out from under him.

Carlos avoided Devon's attempts to grab onto him as his opponent fell to the ground. Devon leapt to his feet but Carlos just punched him again, knocking him out. Carlos stepped away from the unconscious man and headed to Cassie.

"Now, where are the others?" Carlos asked Cassie.

"I don't know. Kendra just took off. It looked as though she had spotted someone. Maybe she had spotted Devon. Maybe he hurt her!" Cassie said as tears sprung to her eyes.

"I don't know but we need to find out. Come on!" Carlos noticed Cassie's eyes dart over to Devon. "Don't worry; he won't be awake for awhile." Carlos took Cassie's hand and led her out of the classroom.

* * *

_9:23 PM_

Kendra ran toward her target and grabbed her arm.

"It isn't me! It's her!" The woman said as she tossed her head toward the retreating back of the stalker. She tried to pull out of Kendra's grip.

"So she's the stalker?" Kendra asked over the background music and once the other had nodded, Kendra took off after the stalker with the other following behind.

Three sets of heels clicked sharply on the tiled floor. The only illumination was the EXIT signs that gave off red light. As each one passed quickly by their faces were only shown for a few seconds but were indistinguishable from one another.

The two followed the third into an auditorium.

"You go to the left and I'll go to the right." One chaser whispered to the other. The one who spoke barely saw the other nod as they separated.

A heavy object came through the air and struck the second chaser on the head. The second chaser fell to the ground with a groan.

The first heard the groan and quietly crept closer to the sound. The remaining chaser felt the air whooshing on the right. The chaser ducked and leapt toward the direction where the origin of the attack had come from.

The object clattered to the ground as the chaser punched and kicked the stalker. They rolled around on the stage knocking over scenes and props. A silver streak flashed through the air and the chaser jumped back, but the knife had drawn a cut on her stomach.

The chaser backed away from the stalker with the light to her back and the standing within the shadows.

* * *

_9: 25 PM_

The sound of two sets of shoes pounded on the old floor as Trent and Hunter quickly checked each room as they headed deeper into the school.

Carlos and Cassie came out of the cafeteria just as Hunter and Trent had come around the corner. "Have you guys seen Kendra?" Hunter asked once he was close enough to recognize Carlos and Cassie.

"Or Natalie?" Trent asked.

"No, Kendra took off and I haven't seen Natalie since she had gone to speak with her friends." Carlos replied knowing that the concern on his friends' faces was mirrored on his own.

"What are you two doing here, anyway?" Hunter asked.

"We had a run in with Devon, Cassie's ex and we're worried if Kendra may have run into him before." Carlos shuffled his feet slightly. "He had a gun." Carlos added.

Hunter's eyes narrowed as he shook his head in disbelief. "Not possible." He knew that Kendra was still alive, in danger, but most certainly, without a doubt alive.

"Well, let's return to our search." Trent said and was about to tell Carlos to take Cassie back to the gym but she surprised him by firmly stating that she was going to help find Kendra and Natalie.

No one argued with her. The search for their two missing friends continued.

* * *

_9:27 PM_

Her face is hidden within the shadows, as she stands deathly still on the stage in a beautiful thin-strapped dress that shows off her curves. Her heart is pumping uncontrollably and the adrenaline rushes through her like a rampaging flood. Her eyes are wide as she takes in everything before her with the rays of light from a single light bulb behind her. She can barely make out the figure standing just out of reach of the light. She sees her own shadow before her on the scuffed wooden floor but the shadow does not reflect the tears in her dress or the streaks of dirt and blood on her and the dress.

She takes a moment to wonder how in the name of the heavens she got into this…situation.

She doesn't move as the gun is raised into a small patch of light and is aimed right at her heart.

* * *

guardianM3: Anyone know who the stalker is?


	15. Chapter 15: Stalker Revealed

Disclaimer: The characters of, "Sons of Thunder" and "Walker Texas Ranger", are owned by Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of these two shows. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.

* * *

guardianM3: This is the last chapter of Volume 3. I hope you all will enjoy it.

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Chapter 15: Stalker Revealed

_ Saturday, August 17 at 9:28 PM _

"Why?" Kendra asked as she looked in the direction of the stalker's face, but kept the gun in her range of vision.

"He is mine!" The stalker hissed.

"All right. All right." Kendra said calmly as she raised her hands in the air. "Trent knows that you two belong together and in no way has he strayed away from you. You do know that, don't you?"

"You tramps have tried to break through our eternal love but you have failed! We are destined to be together, here on earth and in heaven." The stalker walked continuously closer to Kendra until she was close enough for Kendra to reach out a touch her.

Kendra decided that the time was now and kicked the gun out of the stalker's hands but not before a shot was fired. The light bulb shattered as the bullet hit it.

Kendra dived to the right and headed toward where she had last seen the stalker. Kendra felt strong hands encircle around her throat and begin to squeeze. Kendra used all of her strength to hit the stalker's arms and it worked, for the hands released Kendra's throat.

Kendra proceeded to kick the stalker off of her and then scurried away. Kendra held her breath listening for any movement. She heard a moan that she knew was not the stalker. Kendra soundlessly headed toward the origin of the moan when she ran into the stalker who was headed in the same direction. Kendra took the opportunity to throw a punch that sent the stalker flying backwards and crashing through a scene that the high school had set up.

* * *

_9:32 PM_

They heard a gunshot and began to run toward the origin of the sound. A few minutes later, they heard a loud crash and realized that it had come from the auditorium. They opened the door with caution and stared into the darkness.

"Hey, we need some help in here!" A voice yelled out from across the room that they all recognized to be Kendra.

Hunter stepped in a turned on the lights. The lights revealed Kendra on her knees, with her back to them, next to an unconscious woman whose blonde hair could be seen.

They ran down the aisle and onto the stage. They all looked at the unconscious woman with shock. Hunter walked up to Kendra and took her into his arms. "I'm okay." Kendra whispered in his ear but he didn't let her go.

"Is she going to be all right?" Cassie asked.

"Yes." Kendra replied and then she looked over to where the stalker had landed. "Your stalker, Trent, is over there." Kendra said as she pointed to a woman who had just sat up clutching her head.

Trent stared in disbelief at his stalker. It was Natalie.

Natalie stood up and walked toward them. Kendra stood up creating a shield between herself and Jessica.

"Trent, I'm…sorry, so sorry." She cried out as she fell to hear knees holding her face in her hands.

"Natalie?" Trent said in disbelief. It couldn't have been Natalie who had tormented him and his friends. She was his first love. She would never do anything to harm him in anyway. It just wasn't possible to Trent that this caring and loving woman could have done such horrible things.

Jessica slowly opened her eyes and looked around at the people on the stage. She saw Trent staring at Natalie with a mixture of shock and disgust.

Jessica stood up ignoring Kendra's arm to assist her up off of the floor. "Trent." Jessica said as she grabbed his arm. "It isn't her who has been doing this. It is her but it isn't."

"First, she's going to be placed in custody, and then you can explain what you're talking about." Carlos said as he went over to Natalie and grabbed her by the arm. She got onto her feet without needing Carlos' assistance.

* * *

_10:30 PM_

The police had been called and explanations were quickly given. A medic had checked out Kendra and Jessica saying that they would be fine. The news had spread throughout the reunion and Stephanie had quickly brought the entire class under control.

Once Natalie and Devon had been taken into police custody, Jessica told them everything.

Jessica explained that Natalie had been in a car accident about a year and a half ago. She had miraculously survived but had received a traumatic brain injury that had affected her personality. She had been going to a therapist for a little over a year and had begun becoming herself again. She would stay in Dallas with her parents for a week at a time for the past couple of months.

Jessica had discovered that a room that had previously been sealed off in the basement, for some unknown reason before the family had ever moved in, had been unsealed. Once she had entered the room and found a light, she had discovered Natalie was Trent's stalker. She had rushed to the reunion to warn Trent when she saw her sister leaving and Kendra had grabbed her arm.

"That's all." Jessica finished as unshed tears lingered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jessica." Trent said as he hugged her.

"I'm sorry, too, Trent. I'm just glad that she hadn't killed anyone." Jessica replied as the tears began to flow.

Everyone said some comforting words and they decided to leave the reunion even though Stephanie protested that they should stay. They said good night and headed to their homes.

_Saturday, August 24 9:00 AM_

Instead of having breakfast at Uppercuts, they had it over at Trent's new house because they were going to help him move in that day. Instead of cooking breakfast, since there weren't any utensils, dishes, or anything else, Trent just bought everyone doughnuts and bagels, with either single serve juice, milk or coffee.

Once they had eaten, laughed and joked about various things, they began to move things into the house.

Boxes were being placed in various rooms of the house that Trent had purchased and his friends were helping him move in.

"By the way, where did you go after you and Kim had that argument?" Kendra asked as she and Trent headed back to her car.

"I went to go to talk with someone." Trent replied as they walked down the steps and onto the stone path.

"Who?" Kendra asked her curiosity rising.

"My father." Trent replied as he grabbed a box from Carlos' Dodge Durango.

"Your father? I thought…oh." Kendra said once she had figured out what Trent was talking about.

"Did he help?" Kendra asked as she grabbed another box from her car.

"Yeah, he sent Butch to knock some sense into me." Trent said as he began to walk toward his house.

"Good point but at least he didn't _literally_ knock some sense into you." Kendra replied with a grin as she walked up the steps and through the open front door.

"I was about to, but his head finally returned to the ring." Butch said as took the box from Kendra.

After a couple of hours of bringing in boxes and furniture, the group was in the living room about to head out to lunch when Kendra remembered something. "Oh yeah. I got you a housewarming gift." Kendra said as she dashed outside to her car. She returned with a blue gift bag.

Trent held the bag in one hand as he shifted the wrapping tissue so he could look into the bag. A smile came onto his lips as he shook his head.

Kim, Butch, Carlos and Hunter looked into the bag and laughed. Inside were the three 'Karate Kid' movies as well as 'The Next Karate Kid'.

"I don't believe you have every seen these, right?" Kendra asked with a sly grin.

"That is true." Trent replied.

"These movies are classic and I'm sure you will enjoy them." Kendra said as she headed toward the door. "Are you guys coming or not?"

"Yeah, let's go. I'm starving." Carlos said as he headed to the door.

"Interesting choice for movies." Butch commented once he had caught up to Kendra.

"Yeah. I just saw them in the store and I knew that I had to buy them for Trent. I know that it isn't a typical house warming gift, but I figured, what would a guy want with a plant?" Kendra said as she headed toward her car.

Before Kendra got in, she looked at Trent with a sly smile. "To bad that there wasn't any movies with the title 'Thunder Boy'." Everyone gave Kendra a puzzled look except Trent who just laughed as he got into Carlos' car.

* * *

guardianM3: Volume 3 is finally finished! Reviews on this chapter and this volume would be greatly appreciated and I will use the reviews to improve on the next volume. I'm not certain when the next volume will be posted but keep an eye out for it. The next volume has to do with Butch's past and it may or may not have some angst. Thanks to all of the reviewers and those who continue to read this series. I am always trying to improve my writing and reviews are helpful and welcome.


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